Til Death Do Us Part
by FFcrazy15
Summary: Sequel to The Bandit Lord. The lovely young couple is having a baby!... and Po is freaking out. On top of all that, a province in the south has requested their assistance in defeating an unknown invader. Baby Blues as first chapter. PxT
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda.

**A/N: Okay, so I know that this TECHNICALLY can't happen, which is why I'm putting this under the one-shot story thing instead of starting a whole new story. I hope you like it!**

"Man, I am the luckiest guy in the world," Po said happily to the other three men, as he walked towards the training hall one sunny spring morning.

"Yeah, no kidding," Mantis agreed. "You're the Dragon Warrior, you live in the Jade Palace, and Master Shifu technically can't kill you because he'd be killing his son-in-law."

"You forgot that I've got the best wife in the entire universe," Po added.

"And don't you forget it," said Tigress with a smirk, as she and Viper up behind him. "By the way, do any of you know where Master Shifu is? I've got some training questions to go over with him."

"Like what, how long it is until you can learn to float while meditating?" Monkey snickered.

Tigress cat-batted him in the head. "Don't be an imbecile."

"Po, she's being mean to me!" Monkey fake-whined.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Make her stop!"

Po gave him a look. "Have you ever tried to make Tigress stop doing _anything_? It's harder than it looks."

"If you're all done discussing my stubbornness," the feline interjected, annoyed, "Could someone please tell me where Master is?"

"Yeah, I think he's back in the barracks, getting some food," Crane answered. "He wasn't there for breakfast, remember?"

"Alright, thanks. I'll see you all in a few minutes." She turned around and went back the other way.

They all continued on their way to the training hall, laughing at one of Mantis' slightly inappropriate jokes, before Po said suddenly, "Oh, dang it!"

"What's wrong?" said Viper, surprised.

"We're not training today, remember? We're studying history and stuff!"

"So? All the scrolls are already in there," Crane said.

"Um… not all of them…"

Monkey sighed. "You took one out, didn't you?"

"Maaaaybe…" He winced. "I'll be right back." He hurried off back to the barracks.

He snuck in quietly, not wanting Shifu to know he was there. He crept past the kitchen, trying not to make any noise and listening to see if they'd noticed him.

"-I can't tell him yet, Po would freak out-"

He stopped upon hearing his name. Frowning, he listened closer.

"The Dragon Warrior has attained Inner Peace," said Shifu from behind the closed door.

"The _Dragon Warrior_ has never had to handle this sort of responsibility!" Tigress snapped.

"You speak as if you have!"

"Master, even raised as a Kung Fu master, I knew that this was an option! A miniscule option, yes, but still a potential part of my future. Po has likely never even _thought_ that this would happen to him!"

"You mean that the two of you haven't discussed it?" the red panda, said, surprised.

"Well… perhaps a little… but we certainly never expected it to come around like this!" He heard a creak as she leaned back against the table. "Master, I didn't even think this was physically possible… it just doesn't make sense."

"Not normally, no. But considering how much fate has had a hand in our lives within the last few years… to be frank, I think the gods have gone on something of a interference spree."

"You're telling me," Tigress said, sighing. "Master, how in the name of all the gods am I going to tell Po that I'm pregnant?"

Po stumbled back from the door, sure he'd misunderstood. The world around him began to spin, and then grew blurry as it tipped on its side, his head hitting the ground with a loud CRACK!

**KFP**

When he finally woke up again, he found himself sitting in bed, with the other five and Master Shifu all crowded around him worriedly.

"What happened?" he mumbled. "How did I get here?"

"You fainted," Tigress said, matter-of-factly. "Master Shifu and I found you outside the kitchen."

"Hey, buddy, you alright?" Mantis said.

"Yeah. Yeah, no, I'm fine," Po said, feeling himself grow more and more dazed as the memories came flooding back in. "Um, Tigress, can I talk to you outside, please?"

"You shouldn't be mov-" she started, but the look in his eyes cut her off. "I suppose," she said grudgingly.

They other five watched as he left, and Master Shifu said, "I don't think she's going to break it to him easy."

"Break what to him easy?" Viper asked.

He gestured to the window. "Just watch."

When Po and Tigress stopped out front of the barracks, there was a moment of silence, before she said, "You heard, didn't you?"

He nodded, still stunned. "Are you really…" He reached down and put a hand on her belly.

She nodded. "I've been feeling so nauseous lately, and the weird cravings…"

"Are you sure you're not sick? How can you tell?"

"The mother always knows before the father," she said simply.

"Oh man," Po said, shocked.

"Are you going to faint again?"

"No. No. But-" Suddenly, he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Oh man," he whispered again. "A baby. A real, living baby…" He pulled back, and looked desperately at the smartest woman he knew, seeking answers. "Tigress, what are we gonna do?"

The feline looked back at him with wide, _scared _eyes, and whispered the exact three words that he didn't want to hear: "I don't know."


	2. Chapter 2 The Message

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda or Shrek (you'll understand later). Both belong to Dreamworks. I make no money off of this.

**A/N: Okay, so you technically can't feel a baby kick until the 4****th**** month of pregnancy, so… sorry. Pretend she never said that, okay?**

When they came back inside, hand in hand, everyone was staring at them.

It took the tiger all but two seconds to realize what had happened. "You were listening." It wasn't a question.

Everyone looked around guiltily for a moment, before the silence suddenly exploded.

"Is it a boy or girl?"

"What are you going to name it?"

"How the _heck_ did this happen?"

"Wow, Po, didn't know you had it in you."

"Enough!" Master Shifu said. "Let them have a chance to explain."

Everyone fell silent, looking at the young couple expectantly.

"Alright, first off," Tigress said, taking charge (since Po was still in shock), "We don't know whether it's a boy or girl, much less what we'll name it. We know nothing more than you do on how it happened, except that the gods must really have it in for us. And as for whether or not Po 'has it in him,'" Here, she glared at Mantis, who looked back unabashedly, "That's _no one's _business but mine."

"Hey, what can I say? I never thought the big guy would get himself a girl, much less-"

"Moving on," Shifu interrupted. "As much as I hate to ruin the happy mood, I have a message for all of you. Apparently a group of invaders has attacked the southern end of the country, particularly the province under the control of Lord and Lady Jiong **(A/N: 'Fire.' Accents are off. Sorry)**."

"Jiong?" Po said, confused.

"They're in control of a province far to the south," Tigress answered. She turned back to Shifu. "When do we leave, Master?"

"_We_ leave tomorrow morning. _You _are staying here."

Tigress was surprised, to say the least. "Staying here? Why? Are you worried that something might attack the Palace in our absence?"

"No. You are not remaining to defend; you are staying behind to _rest_."

"But I'm not injured!" she protested.

There was a moment's silence, before she suddenly realized what he was talking about. "Master-"

"No buts, Tigress. Your child is your first priority right n-"

"_Father,_" she said, cutting him off. Everyone stared in shock; despite the reparation of their fragile father-daughter relationship, each was very hesitant to breach the barrier of formal titles that had held them at odds for so long. "I can defend myself and my child if I need to, but I won't unless necessary. I won't over-exert myself, I won't fight anyone, and I won't do anything that could put the baby at risk. Besides, wouldn't it be _more _likely for me to injure the baby or myself here than with all of you? After all, if someone attacks me here, I'll have no choice but to fight. If I was with you and the others, I could be able to, as much as I hate to say this, let the rest of you do the fighting." She fixed him with her fiery gaze, and Po caught the slightest hint of an unsaid point in her reasoning.

Shifu regarded her silently for a moment, and then sighed. "I knew I never should've taught you how to argue politically. All right, you may come, but I won't have you _or your child _get hurt on this. Understood?"

"Absolutely." She put a hand to her belly. "Trust me, Master; no one understands the importance of this better than I do."

The room was silent for a moment, before Mantis said, "So, uh, when do we leave?"

"In an hour. Pack your bags and meet me at the gates; we must leave as soon as possible."

**One hour Later**

"Everyone here?" Shifu asked, looking around. "Good. Let's go."

They started down the stairs. Upon reaching the village at the bottom, Po said, "Um, Master Shifu? Can we go see my dad? Y'know, to tell him about-"

"Go ahead; we'll wait for the two of you at the bridge."

Tigress and Po took the street to the left, while the others went to the right. Within a few minutes, they were at Mr. Ping's.

"-Three-forty, thank you, and would you like a coupon? I- Po!" the duck said, spotting his son in the doorway. "And Master Tigress! Come in, come in, take a seat! What can I get you?"

"Nothing today, dad. We've got to go soon, y'know, duty calls," Po said.

"Oh? So you came to say goodbye?"

They glanced at each other. "Not exactly," Tigress said. "You see, Mr. Ping, we have something to tell you…"

The goose looked back and forth between them, confused for a moment, and then gasped. "Ah! Happy day! Oh, congratulations to the both of you!"

"Whoa, dad, calm d-"

"I never thought I'd live to see this day! Po, I'm so proud of you! Oh, and you too, of course, Master Tigress!"

"Thank you, Mr. Ping, we-"

"Everyone!" Mr. Ping said. Everyone in the shop looked over. "Today is a very happy day! My son is going to be a father! Free seconds for everyone!"

As the crowd cheered and swarmed the young couple, Po face-pawed, embarrassed. "Thanks, dad," he mumbled.

**That Night, Around campfire**

"Alright, all of you get some sleep," Shifu said. The tired warriors all concurred, and each got out their bedroll.

Po watched the flames as they slowly died down to coals, and his companions' breathing soon fell to snores. He blinked once, a second time more slowly, and then his eyes closed altogether.

Suddenly, a small sound made them open again. He sat up and looked around. Everything seemed normal; the fire was almost out, his friends and his wife were all sleeping, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

He started to lie back down, thinking he must've imagined it-

There! That noise again! It sounded sort of like the sound Tigress made whenever he (accidentally!) stepped on her tail. It was definitely made by a person.

He pushed the blanket off himself and glanced around again. Carful not to wake the others, he stood up and walked away from the camp.

The sound came again, and he turned to his left, following the noise. As he drew closer, the sounds- whimpers, he now realized- became clearer and more distinct.

"Hello?" he called out, coming to a clearing. "Is someone there? Are you hurt?"

The whimpering came again, and he looked to his left. A small bundle was lying there.

He walked over to it cautiously, and saw that it was a baby. More specifically, it was a small, newborn panda baby.

"Hey, little guy," Po said, surprised. He bent over, close enough to touch him. "How did you end up out here, huh?"

The child gave no answer except for another snuffle.

He stood back up, looking around. "Hey!" he called in the other direction. "There's a baby over here! Like, all alone and stuff!"

Nobody replied. He turned back to the babies.

Wait. What? He could've sworn there was only one-

The new child let out a sharp cry, and he winced. This one was definitely a girl. A tiger girl, specifically.

He looked back the other way, and saw another baby lying on the ground. This one was again a tiger, but it was a boy instead of a girl.

"Okay, whoever you are, this isn't funny anymore!" Po called out.

"Ba-ba?"

He looked behind him. A little panda girl walked towards him, her arms outstretched. "Ba-ba!"

"What- kid, I'm not your dad, I'm-"

"Baba!"

He whirled around. A tiger girl was looking at him expectantly.

"WHAAAA!"

To his left, another baby started crying. Then another, and another.

"Baba! Baba!"

"WHAAA!"

"What the-" Everywhere he turned, more and more kids were appearing, crying, shouting.

"Po!"

He turned around. Tigress was standing there, a baby on her hip and two little panda girls at her feet, clinging to her black pants.

"Oh Tigress, thank the gods, these kid just appeared and-"

"Chow needs changing, Ku-yuan needs to be fed, and did you even _see_ what Déhua did to his sister's fur?"

"What-?"

"Have you even been taking care of them at all?" she demanded. "What kind of a father are you?"

"Tigress- I-"

"Baba! Baba!"

"WHAAAA!"

"NO NO NO NO-!"

"WHAAA!"

"BABA!"

They were all shouting at him, all demanding his attention, and no matter where he turned, more and more kids were crying and wailing and yelling and- and-

-He awoke with a start, shooting up in his bedroll, breathing quickly. He looked around, listening to make sure he hadn't woken up into another dream. When he heard nothing, he sighed.

He sat there for another moment, and then stood up and walked away from his friends. He walked for a moments, before eventually finding a fallen log and sitting down on it.

_"What kind of a father are you?"_

He winced. "Okay, not good," he muttered to himself.

"What's not good?"

He looked behind him. Mantis, Monkey, and Crane (who had asked the question), were standing there.

"Oh. Hey, guys. Did I wake you up?"

"Yeah, sort of," Mantis said, hopping up beside him on the log. "So. What's up?"

"Um, nothing."

"You know, you're a really bad liar," Monkey pointed out, sitting down beside Mantis.

"Look, guys, it was just a bad dream."

"About?" Crane asked.

"About- about-" He sighed. "Guys, come on! I mean, how am I going to do this? I mean, I can't be a dad! You guys know me; I act like a big kid myself!"

"So?" Mantis asked.

"So, how can I be a good dad if I don't have any idea what to do? I mean, I screw things up on a day to day basis-"

"Oh yeah," "Totally," "That's true…" they all agreed.

He glared at them for a moment, and then became worried again. "I mess things up nine times out of ten; how can I take care of a kid? Why would the gods trust me with this much responsibility? I mean, Master Shifu doesn't even trust me to watch the Palace with all of you gone for an afternoon. That's just a building; this is a living person!"

The three of them looked at each other. "It's not like you're going into this alone," Crane said, trying to be uplifting. "I mean, we're all going to help you, and then there's Tigress-"

"Jeez, I almost forgot, I've gotta take care of Tigress, too! She can't fight; I've got to protect her. Oh man, I'm going to screw this up so badly…" He put his face in his hands. "I can't do anything right." he mumbled.

"Come on, man, don't say that!" Mantis protested.

"Yeah, you don't screw _everything_ up," Monkey agreed. "You took down Tai Lung and Shen and Kailí, remember? You're the Dragon Warrior!"

Po straightened back up, looking a little more hopeful. "You know what? You're right. I can do this!" He frowned a little, unsure. "I hope."

"That's the spirit!" said Crane, patting him on the back with a wing. "Now come on, let's go back. You've gotta get some sleep."

He stood up and followed them back to the campfire. As they all lay back down again onto their bedrolls (or, in Crane's case, tuck his head under his wing), Po glanced over at Tigress, and couldn't help but think that he was going to need a lot more than hope to get through the next, well, forever.

He lay down on his bedroll and looked into the fire. Despite his tiredness, he didn't fall asleep for a long, long time.


	3. Scene 3 Cravings

Chapter 3

Zayzay: 1. Huh. Wow. I DID do that. Dang; can't believe I didn't catch that. Thanks! 2. *Winks* That'll tie in. All I can do is warn the Viper/Crane lovers out there, because I think I need to give Viper/Mantis some love, but I don't want to leave Crane out… you'll see! 3. Huh. Sounds like a good idea… *evil laugh*

**Continuing On**

They traveled for another week or so, and the days seemed to pass in a blur. As they headed farther south, the weather became increasingly warmer and warmer, until it felt like they were in a constant heat wave.

On the evening before they were going to arrive in the head village of the province, they met their first opposition:

It happened at dusk, when shadows had overcome the land and the moon was rising in the east. All but one of them had to squint to see through the gloom, and Shifu was just about to call a halt when Tigress said, "Wait."

Her entire posture had changed: she had dropped into an instinctive half-crouch, her hackles had raised on the back of her neck, and her ears were flat against the back of her head. "There's someone here," she said, glowing eyes flicking back and forth.

"Who?" Po asked.

"I don't know."

"Everyone at the ready!" Shifu ordered. "Tigress, stand down!"

There was a tense moment of silence, and then-

At least a fourteen shapes flipped into the air from the trees surrounding them and attacked.

Po didn't get the chance to even see the attack before muscle memory took over, and he blocked it. The fight was one.

One of them swept his foot and sent him thudding to the ground, while another stabbed something long and sharp into the dirt where he'd been only a second before. He got back up again and blocked another kick, knocking the first attacker in the temple, before knocking him out and turning to deal with the second (who'd been getting his sword out of the ground).

Viper took out two at once by circling around their heads and knocking them together, before going to help Mantis, who had three on him at once. Shifu also had three, but he took care of the first two quickly with his staff, and then attacked the third, who had drawn his sword.

Crane dove in from overhead, taking out another with his talons and rescuing Monkey from one himself, before knocking the attacker out. The last was easily dispatched by Shifu (who'd taken care of his three).

"I think that's all of them," Po said, before he heard a loud "HYAH!"

They all whirled around to see Tigress standing over an unconscious attacker, who apparently had ditched his comrades to try to kill the 'helpless' female. "You missed one," she said matter-of-factly.

They all looked at each other, and then down at their opponents. "What are they?" Po asked.

"Panthers," Tigress answered, walking up beside them. "Black panthers, specifically. Skilled fighters, and obviously weapon masters."

"They're from a land to the south of China," Monkey agreed. "The people there call it Bharat; you probably know it as India. It's where my family is from."

"So why did they attack us?" Mantis asked.

"Obviously whoever's been heading the invasion knows that we're coming," Shifu said grimly.

They took a moment to ponder the implications of this, before Shifu said, "We'll stop here. I want someone on guard duty at all times; we'll be rotating shifts. I'll take first watch."

**Later**

_ …Po was running from everywhere to kingdom come trying to find a diaper, while his baby's shrieks grew constantly louder. "WHAAAAA!"_

_ He slammed open the kitchen cupboards, then whirled around to find himself in his room. He checked under the bed, in his trunk, in Tigress' trunk. No luck._

_ He whirled around again, and found himself the training hall. He looked around the Adversary, under the swinging clubs-_

_"Po."_

_ Great, now the kid knew his name, too! Dang it, where was that diaper?  
>"Po," the baby said more insistently.<em>

_ "I'm looking, okay? I just can't find-"_

"Po!" Tigress said again, and he shot up on his bedroll.

He looked around and, upon finding that there was no baby, no missing diaper, and no trouble whatsoever, let out an "Agh," and fell back onto the bedroll.

"Bad dream?" his wife guessed.

"Uh-huh."

"Sorry for waking you," she said, looking worried. He noticed that she was kneeling beside him on her own bedroll. "You were mumbling something and you kept tossing and turning, so I figured it was a nightmare."

"Yeah, well… you figured right." He yawned a little and sat up again. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I was up in the first place."

"Really?" He said, surprised. "What were you doing?"

"Guard duty, remember?" She looked away and flushed a little, which Po knew was her 'guilty' look. "And, er… well, to be honest, I was looking for your spices," she admitted.

He blinked. "Why?"

"I really, really want some of your soup, but I didn't want to wake you up, so… I was going to attempt to make it myself."

"I could do that," he said, surprised.  
>"You'd honestly do that?" she said, surprised.<p>

"Sure." He grinned his signature goofy grin. "I'm awake now anyway; may as well, right? Besides, there's no such thing as a bad time for soup." Then, he frowned. "That was a little corny, huh?"

"Yes, but appreciated," she said, chuckling a little.

The fire was mainly hot coals by now, good for cooking, and it didn't take long before he'd gotten a pot made. Speaking quietly so as not to wake the others, they both got a bowl and started to eat.

"Mmm…" Tigress sighed, taking a drink of the broth. "That is _so_ good."

"Haha, thanks." He ate some of his own.

She took another drink, and then said, "Thank you. You didn't have to do this…"

"Naw, it's cool. 'Sides, I can't complain. I mean, I'm not the pregnant one, right?" he said jokingly.

She frowned a little and stared into the soup as if the noodles were going reveal some sort of big, universal secret.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Po said, realizing her change in mood. "I didn't mean to be a jerk or anything."

"No, it's not you," she said, not looking at him. "I'm just… thinking."

He shifted slightly on his bedroll and looked at her. "Thinking about…?"

She shrugged. "Everything. The baby. The attack. Lord and lady Jiong." She looked at him. "You."

"Oh," he said guiltily. "So… did I do something wrong? Man, I must've done something really b-"

"It's not that!" she said angrily, her voice rising. Viper stirred slightly and mumbled in her sleep.

They watched the snake fall back into dreamland tensely. When they were sure she wasn't going to wake back up, Tigress relaxed. "Sorry," she whispered.

"Don't worry about it."

She nodded and didn't say anything, just went back to looking back at the soup bowl on her lap, jaw tight. Po suddenly reached over and laid a paw on her shoulder. She looked at him, surprised.

"Come on, what's up?" he said seriously. "I've never seen you this freaked out before; something's got to be wrong."

She hesitated, and then said, "Do you remember how I said my parents were in charge of a province in the south?"

"Yeah."

She looked at him. "Po, we're going to defend a province _in the south._"

"Uh-huh." He looked at her as if he were waiting for her to get to the point.

"You're seriously not seeing a connection here?"

He thought for a moment, and then his face changed. "You mean, we're going to see…"

She nodded.

"But- but why didn't you stay behind?" he protested. "I mean, if you knew-"

"That's why I'm coming in the first place." She fiddled with her chopsticks. "They need to know about the baby… not only that, I know my name's going to come up one way or another. I want to be there when it does, to defend myself."

"You act like you're going into battle," he noticed.

She laughed humorlessly. "That sounds about right." She stabbed through one of the vegetables viciously with her chopsticks. "We still have history between us, and it needs to be closed, one way or the other."

He wasn't really sure what to see, so he only squeezed her shoulder slightly and didn't let go until she shifted away herself.

They finished their soup in sort of a melancholy silence. As Po washed the bowls with some water from their jugs, Tigress suddenly said, "Po? Don't tell the others."

He looked over his shoulder, surprised. "Sure, but why?"

"I don't want them to know, just yet," she answered. "They'll know by the end of tomorrow, anyway."

He nodded, and, once he'd put the bowls away, lay down in his bedroll beside hers. After a moment, he looked over into her scarlet eyes, and then took her paw into his.

Tigress blinked, surprised, and then understood. In itself, it was a comforting, romantic gesture, but it held a certain meaning for the two: _we're in this together._

She relaxed slightly, and with that, she closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep. He watched her like this for a moment and then, slowly, his own eyes began to close: once, twice, and then he sunk into deep, dark sleep…


	4. Chapter 4 Arrival

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda. I make no money off of this.

To: Dark Shade 75- Mm-hm!

**Next Morning**

"PANDA!"

Po scrambled out of bed, consequentially waking Tigress up, too (as if she hadn't been already).

"Panda!" Shifu snapped furiously. "You were supposed to have last watch!"

Po instantly flushed red with guilt. "Right, I'm sor-"

"You are completely irresponsible! We could've been attacked, robbed-"

"I seriously didn't mean t-"

"Assassinated in our sleep-"

"Master Shifu!" Tigress interrupted. "That isn't Po's fault!"

Both looked at her, surprised. "It wasn't?" they said at the same time.

"No, it's mine." Her ears folded back slightly in embarrassment. "I accidentally woke Po up last night-" Po noticed how she didn't mention his nightmare, "- and we ended up talking for a bit, before we both went back to sleep. I forgot to tell him he had the last watch… I was shirking off, not him."

"Yeah, sure," Mantis said jokingly. "You were up 'talking.' OW!" (Viper had whapped him with her tail).

Shifu waited for Mantis to get back up again, and said disapprovingly, "Viper…"

"Sorry, Master. I didn't mean to hit him _that_ hard…"

Shifu sighed and decided that moving on was probably the best- and safest- option. "The town is just a ways ahead; we'll be there soon. All of you, pack up; Po, you put out the fire."

"Yes, master," they all said, bowing quickly and hurrying to do their chores.

Tigress, uncharacteristically, did her best to dawdle, while also trying to appear to be busy. Unlike Mantis or Monkey, she didn't have much practice at this, and her attempts at delaying their departure didn't waste more than five minutes, at best.

Eventually, they left their now-deserted campsite, and headed for the town. As they came to the gates, the guards demanded their name and business.

"We are Grandmaster Shifu and his students," Shifu said, "Here to assist Lord and Lady Jiong in repelling the invaders."

"A'right, go ahead," the rhino guard said, waving them through.

Inside, the town was busy, full of people selling food, silks, jewels, spices from India, and every other type of ware possible. Crane spotted some paper and ink, and said, "Tigress, you low on supplies?" (He and Tigress recorded and documented the missions).

"No," she answered shortly, to the surprise of the avian. Everyone could see how tense she was, and Po drew closer to her side.

Looking around, it was evident what the main species in the area was. "Wow, Tigress," Monkey said, surprised. "You fit right in here."

Tigress didn't answer, though it certainly seemed true. Everywhere you looked, there were at least ten black-and-orange felines to any other species of animal present.

As they passed through the busy streets, Po suddenly caught sight of something, and suddenly veered away from the group and ran off through the crowds.

"What the-" Mantis said, and then yelled, "Po! Come back here!"

"Come on!" the panda called back.

"Po!" Tigress said angrily, taking off after the panda. The others looked at each other for a moment, and then followed her.

They dodged around villagers, stands, and rickshaws as they followed Po. Once, he even switched streets on them, and disappeared into the crowds, leaving them to look around for a few moments, before Viper said, "There!" and pointed with her tail.

They ran forward, and found that- finally- Po had stopped. He was talking to an old goat lady. "Who's that?" Mantis asked.

Monkey shrugged. "Dunno. Do you think we should go ask?"

Shifu, on the other hand, merely smiled. "She's a friend," he said, and walked forward.

The Soothsayer turned and saw him, and quickly bowed. "Hello, Grandmaster. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Oh, and all of yours as well," she said, indicating the others behind him.

"The pleasure is all mine, ma'am," he replied, bowing back. "It's nice to see you again."

"Again?" Po said, surprised. "You guys know each other?"

"Barely," the Soothsayer answered. "We met briefly on the docks after your victory over Lord Shen."

"Excuse me, but who is she?" Mantis said bluntly.

"Guys, this is the Soothsayer," Po said. "She was the one that got me out of the river, when Shen shot me. I probably wouldn't be alive if not for her."

"Then you have our thanks," Tigress said, bowing very low in a sign of respect.

"So why are you here?" Po asked, turning back to the goat.

"I like being where things will happen," the Soothsayer said, chuckling. Then, her face grew somber. "But be warned, all of you: there are clouds gathering on the horizon."

Everyone but Po, Tigress, and Shifu blinked at this. "Okay, whatever that means," Mantis muttered under his breath.

The Soothsayer (who had of course heard) gave him a look, and then said, "Best of luck to all of you. If you need my help, I'm staying here." She pointed at the small house behind them. "The family there is away for a while and has kindly agreed to let me stay."

"Cool, thanks!" Po said. The Soothsayer nodded and, after one last bow, headed into her home.

Once she was safely out of earshot, Mantis snorted and said rather rudely. "Why would we need her help?"

"She's a seer," Shifu explained. "Or I believe that's what she told me on the docks. She can predict the future; a valuable trait in these troubled times."

"Oh," Mantis said, suddenly looking- and feeling- very sheepish.

"Well, we've wasted some time on this, though not without good cause," Shifu said. "Let's pick up our pace."

They did, and it wasn't long before they arrived at the gates to the lord and lady's house. The guards let them in without questioning them; apparently, they were expected visitors.

A servant met them in the courtyard. She was a short tiger with greenish-gold eyes and a fairly plain dress, yellow without any pattern. "I'll go inform the lord and lady of your arrival," she said, bowing hastily. "Please wait in the main hall, right through the front doors." She scurried off, if that was even possible for a tiger.

They followed her advice and walked up to the tall wooden doors. Po, the tallest of the seven, opened them, and they all walked through.

The hall inside was magnificent, though not as much so as the Hall of Warriors. It was a great deal smaller, though ornately decorated with red and green jade, as well as gold lining. The flickering torches reflected off the red floors, and a few scroll paintings and artifacts hung here and there, depicting famous family members. The room was awkwardly silent; nobody really knew what to say.

Thankfully, they didn't have long to wait; within a few seconds of their entrance, another door to the side opened, and in strode two tigers.

These were, of course, the Lord and Lady Jiong. Lady Jiong was dressed in a long, embroidered vermillion robe, and was wearing a large headdress. Lord Jiong was dressed similarly, although his were a deep burgundy color and had nothing on his head. Both quickly bowed without really looking at the warriors, who of course bowed back.

"Forgive us our lateness," Lady Jiong said, rising from the bow. "We were not aware you had arrived."

"It was only a few minutes; no harm done," Shifu replied.

"Thank you, Grandmaster, we-" Suddenly, she realized exactly who was in her house. "You," she said, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Tigress. "What are you doing here?"

"You know as well as I do that we have unfinished business between us," Tigress answered, her voice just as cold. "And besides, didn't you invite the warriors of the Jade Palace here?"

"We assumed _you_ would not be coming," Lord Jiong replied, backing up his wife.

"A poor assumption, then," Tigress countered without missing a beat, "As I am the leader of the Furious Five."

"Well, we simply thought you would be remaining at home," said Lady Jiong, her eyes flashing. "As a good wife should."

Tigress didn't reply. Everyone could tell by the way her jaw stiffened and she glanced away ever so slightly that this was a low blow. Po looked at his her, and then reached out and took her paw.

"Actually, I'm happy she came," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Lady Jiong raised an eyebrow in distaste. "Yes. Well, from a man that picked _her_ for his wife, I can see how you would be."

"How dare you!" Tigress hissed. "How dare you talk to the Dragon Warrior like-"

"Mother? Father?"

Everyone turned in surprise. Out from the door that the lord and lady had walked through came another.

She, too, was a tiger, with silky orange fur and brilliant golden eyes. She was dressed in flowing, pale-pink robes, with pastel gold and green flowers embroidered in it and gold fringe lining on the long sleeves. Two tiny, bound feet peeked out from under the hemline, forcing her to walk slowly, and a small headdress with live pink flowers in it. All in all, she was positively _stunning._

"Mei-hua?" Lady Jiong said, surprised. "I thought you were in the gardens."

"I wanted to see the visitors arrive," she said. She looked to be about twenty-five, yet no children were following her around, which was surprising, as she should've really been married by that point. She turned and saw the visitors standing there, and with a gasp quickly bowed. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize-"

"Hey, chill out, it's cool," Po said, smiling his easy-going grin to show that it was all right. She relaxed immediately.

"Thank you, Dragon Warrior." She smiled at the others, but her smile quickly faded into a slightly startled look upon seeing Tigress. "Oh," she said uncertainly.

"Yes. Oh," Tigress replied. Po looked on nervously as the two sisters stared each other down, Mei-hua surprised, Tigress grimly determined.

Eventually, Tigress broke away, figuring that she had more important stuff to do. "If I'm not welcome," she said to Lord and Lady Jiong, "I'll find rooming in the village." _Perhaps I'll be taking the Soothsayer's offer of help earlier than I thought._

"That would be proper etiquette, yes," said the lady stiffly. "It's not polite to intrude on others' households when you haven't been invited, especially when that household has disowned you."

"Wait, what?" Mantis said, the first of the others to speak for a long time.

"Oh, so you haven't told them?" Lady Jiong said (Lord Jiong seemed to be trying very hard to disappear into thin air). "I'm not surprised. Master Tigress," she said to the others, "Was disowned from this household twenty-odd years ago. This is the second time she has imposed herself on us, and in little over a year, no less."

"I meant no disrespect," Tigress said coldly, as if she was trying very hard to keep her temper. "I'll be leaving now." She turned and walked towards the door.

"Hey, hey, hold on!" Po said. Tigress stopped, and looked back, surprised. "If she leaves, then I leave," he said to the lord and the lady.

"Po, you don't-" Tigress started, but he cut her off.

"Yeah, I do. Look, ma'am, sir, I understand that this is awkward and all, but-" he looked at Tigress, and then back at the lord and lady again, "-she's my wife. Not you guys. So if she goes, I go."

"I have to agree," Shifu said firmly. "If my daughter is not welcome, none of us are." At the words 'my daughter' the tension in the room had increased- if that was possible-, and he knew it, too. It was how he'd intended it.

The two elder tigers looked at each other, and then Lord Jiong said (before his wife could object), "Excuse our rudeness, Grandmaster; we meant no offense to any of you. Master Tigress is welcome here, as are you all."

"Thank you," Shifu said. "We are very grateful for your hospitality."

"And we your forgiveness, Grandmaster." He called for a servant, and within moments the tiger that had greeted them at the door had appeared. "Take them to their rooms."

"Yes, master," she said, bowing quickly. She turned to the seven. "Follow me, please. Your rooms aren't far."

They followed her through a few hallways and up a flight of stairs to another hallway. Six doors were on their right, and six on their left. She pointed to the six on the right and said, "These our yours. I hope you'll find the accommodations suitable."

"I'm sure they're lovely," Viper said kindly. She opened the door to hers and went in; the others followed suit.

Po looked around his room, and felt he'd stepped into Heaven. There was a bed, a trunk for their clothes, a small washbowl in the corner, and a window. It was small, but very nice and clean.

The servant followed them in. "I'm sorry the bed is so small," she said apologetically. "We were only expecting one… a larger bed will be brought in later."

"Really, you don't have to-"

"No, we want to. It's only a shame that we couldn't show you proper hospitality from the beginning." She frowned, but said nothing against her masters.

"Are you kidding? This is great!" Po exulted, in his fanboy way. "We've got a window! And Tigress, look!" He ran over to a wall and tapped it. "See? It's not paper!"

The servant giggled. "I'm glad you like it, Dragon Warrior. As I said, Master Tigress, there will be a bigger bed by tomorrow." She left.

Po ran over to the window. "Hey, look at this! It looks out over a garden."

She walked over to the window and saw he was right. "Yes, it does." She rested her arms on the windowsill like he was doing and was silent for a moment. Then, she said, "Thank you, Po."

He looked over at her, surprised. "For what?"

"For standing up for me, back there. It… means a lot to me. More than you know."

"Hey, you're my wife," he said. "My _pregnant_ wife. I'm not just gonna let them kick you out! Besides, they were being really mean."

"I wish I could say I expected different." There was a moment's silence, before she said, "We didn't tell them about the baby."

"Oh. Yeah." He felt his stomach twist at the mention of the 'b' word.

"How do you think we should? No matter how we do it, they won't be happy, but I think we should at least have a rough plan."

He shrugged. "I don't know. All the others know, and Mantis and Monkey can't keep a secret to save their lives."

"True."

"So they'll find out eventually."

She nodded, and then said, "Po? Do you have any noodles?"

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Sorry. It's the cravings."

"Want me to make you some?"

"No, it's fine. Thank you, though."

He grinned, and couldn't help but think how incredibly lucky he was, that The Master Tigress, his pregnant wife, was craving _his_ noodles.


	5. Chapter 5 Spy

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda. I got the information on Chinese dinner etiquette from http: /www. chinainfoonline. com/Chinese_Culture/ The_Etiquette_of_Chinese_Banquets. htm and about animal gestation lengths from http :/www. seaworld. org/animal-info/ info-books/tiger/birth-&-care. htm

**That Night**

Dinner that night was… awkward. Or, as the warriors would later agree, "One fiasco after another."

It started out all right; all seven of them were sitting with the three Jiongs in a small hall, which had a low table set with delicious-looking food, as well as chopsticks and expensive plates. Pillows were laid on the floor instead of seats. Po was about to sit down when, suddenly, Lady Jiong stopped him. "That way faces west," she said. "You will sit in the honored place, the one facing east."

"Oh, okay," he said, a little embarrassed. He was still a novice when it came to the etiquette that came with being in the higher class. He walked over to the other side of the table.

Tigress, on the other hand, was not, and it did not escape her attention that, after everyone had sat down, she ended up in the place Po had been about to take, the one facing west. It was the lowest spot at the table, and a direct insult. However, she sat down without a word. If any of the others noticed, they had the tact not to say anything.

"So, Master Shifu, what is your strategy to stop the invaders?" Lord Jiong asked.

"At the present, we need more information before we can do anything concrete," Shifu answered.

"I see."

"There is something you should know," Tigress said. "We were attacked on the way here; the invaders knew we were coming. There are spies within your walls."

"Spies? Impossible," Lady Jiong said, dismissing the idea. "All of our servants are the epitome of trustworthiness."

"Listen, I don't know exactly what 'epitome' means, but Tigress is right," Po said. "Someone knew we were coming."

"The attackers were panthers," Monkey added. "All from India."

"This is troubling news," Lord Jiong said, worried. "One of our servants has betrayed us? I never would've thought it."

"You mean, they could've attacked us in our sleep?" said Mei-hua, looking frightened.

"Yes, though I doubt they would. That sort of assassination would be much too obvious," Shifu answered, trying to calm her. It didn't work; the poor girl's eyes went wide as the dinner plates.

"Lady Jiong, this is very good!" Viper said quickly, changing the subject and indicating towards the sweet dumplings, one of which she had taken, and then passed to Crane.

"Thank you, Master Viper; I'll make sure to tell the cook you liked them."

Po glanced around the table, looking at his friends. Master Shifu, who was seated next to Tigress, was sitting quietly and calmly on his cushion, though of course, that didn't mean anything. The Grandmaster had the ability to seem completely serene at any given moment, where on the inside, he might have been completely freaking out. Crane, who was to the right of him, was actively participating in the conversation, whereas Monkey, who looked bored, followed him on the next side of the table, and then Mantis, who was about the same. To his left was Viper, who was sitting next to Mei-hua and, as the conversation continued on, had taken a motherly sort of role on her, trying to soothe the frightened tiger. On the left long side of the table were Lord and Lady Jiong, and seated next to Shifu (who followed after), was Tigress. The feline appeared to be taking in the conversation, but Po saw that look in her eyes that said she was not at all happy.

"So, Dragon Warrior, Master Tigress," Lord Jiong said, in an attempt to relieve at least some of the tension from the afternoon. "How long have you been married now?"

"About two months," Tigress answered.

"It was a clever arrangement, Grandmaster; I'm surprised no one thought of it beforehand," he said to Shifu.

"Actually, I didn't arrange it," Shifu said, chuckling a little. "They did that themselves."

"Really?" Lord Jiong said, surprised. "A young man and woman arranged a political marriage on their own? That's quite impressive."

"Naw, it wasn't political," Po said, grinning. "We really care about each other."

"Well, that's surprising," said Lady Jiong.

Po blinked. "Why?"

"Well, just that people in the- ahem- _higher class_ usually marry for position, not… emotions," she said. It was a tactful enough sentence, but no one missed the tone in which she said 'higher class.' Po felt his cheeks grow a little red and glanced down at his patched, worn pants, embarrassed. He knew that, while his title of Dragon Warrior had politically advanced him in social standing, he and his dad were still obviously lower class when it came to money. Honored guest he may have been, but he knew he was poor, and so did they.

Awkward silence fell over the table.

"I am honored," Tigress said, breaking the quiet, "to be the wife of the Dragon Warrior. Regardless of social standing- and, for the record, he is higher than myself-, we are devoted to each other."

"I can see how you would be," Lady Jiong said stiffly, "As undoubtedly, neither of you ever imagined yourself wed."

Tigress stood up forcefully, her eyes flashing. For an instant, everyone in the room was stunned and a little afraid, before suddenly, she turned on her heals and ran from the room.

Everyone was surprised and not a little confused for a moment, before they heard the sounds of retching. "Oh man," Po mumbled, standing up as well. He said something about "must've eaten something bad on the road," before he followed his wife out the door.

**KFP**

"Ugh," Tigress muttered, sitting on the bed and holding a pot in her hands. "I thought pregnant women were supposed to get _morning_ sickness."

"Sorry," Po said, not really sure what else to say.

She glared at him. "Oh, no, you're not."

"Huh?" he squeaked.

"You did this to me! This is all _your_ fault!"

It was around this point that he remembered the mood swings. About a second after this, he also recalled her knocking out that panther. And a second after that, he added two and two together: _mood swings + martial artist wife= dead panda._

So, he did the only logical thing:

"HEEEEELP!"

**A Few Minutes Later**

"I wasn't going to kill you," Tigress said, annoyed.

"Well…"

"Listen," Shifu said (he and the others had stormed the room upon hearing Po's cry for help). "Homicides aside, we need to discuss what we were talking about what we were discussing at dinner."

"You mean how Po and Tigress thought they were going to grow old and wrinkled and never get hitched?" Mantis joked. Monkey tried to hide his sniggers.

"Hilarious, and no," Tigress said flatly. "I think our dear, old, _unmarried_ master is referring to the issue of a spy."

Mantis and Monkey both shut up.

"Thank you, Tigress. Yes, that's exactly what I meant." He looked around, and then sat down. The others followed suit. "Obviously someone has been listening in," he said, his voice lower. "The spy must've known they were sending for us."

"Who do you think it is?" Crane asked.

"I have no idea," Shifu answered. "But servants always know more than they let on. It could be any one of them."

"Maybe like one of the cleaning servants?" Crane suggested. "It wouldn't be hard for one of them to get their hands on documents."

"Or what about that girl- Mei-hua?" Monkey suggested. "Maybe she double-crossed her parents, wanted some independence?"

Viper shook her head. "I was talking to her at dinner; she's not bright enough to betray anyone, especially not her own parents." She frowned. "But that girl who showed us our rooms this morning- she seemed strange to me."

"Uh-huh. Did you notice how weird she was?" Monkey asked. "Everyone here hates you, Tigress."

"Really? I didn't even notice," she said, with fake surprise.

"He doesn't mean it like that," Crane said. "He just means that she's the only one that's been nice to you since we got here. Doesn't that seem a little weird?"

Now that she thought about it, it _did._ "She also doesn't seem to like the Jiongs very much," Tigress agreed. "She seems like the perfect person to go rogue- no one would suspect her, and she'd have the ability to get information without anyone knowing."

"Keep a close watch on her," Shifu ordered. "Make sure she doesn't find out anything more than she needs to." He stood back up and said, "We should all get some rest. Everyone, to your rooms."

"Yeah, we'll leave you guys _alone,_" Mantis joked. Tigress tried to kick him, but he hopped off Monkey's shoulder just in time, and her foot only hit air.

Once everyone was gone, Tigress sat back down on the bed. "Sorry," she said quietly to Po. "I didn't mean to scare you like that."

"Nah, it's cool," he said, grinning.

"No, it's not," she said seriously. "Po, you know that I'd never- I'm not-"

"I know, okay? I just sort of freaked out, that's all."

She nodded and gave a worried, weak attempt at a smile. It didn't work.

"Hey, come here," Po said, and pulled her into a hug. She accepted it hesitantly, and then gratefully.

"Everything's gonna be okay," he told her, but he didn't sound very convincing, even to himself.

"Of course. Everything's going to be fine," she said, but she didn't sound all that sure, either.

After they broke apart again, Tigress suddenly asked, "Do you think the kitchen would have any lettuce?"

"Lettuce? Um… I'm not sure," he said, surprised. "What about noodles?"

"Don't even _mention_ noodles right now," she said, looking nauseous. Upon seeing the hurt look on his face, she said, "It's not you, just… I think I'll go check the kitchen." She stood up.

"No, you stay, I'll go check," he said, pushing her back down. "'Sides, I'm hungry, too; I didn't eat dinner, remember?"

She smirked. "And we all know how important that is for the Dragon Warrior.

"Abso-freakin'-lutely."

She chuckled, and then said, "Thank you, Po."

"No prob." He walked out the door, but then, he poked his head back through the door. "Um, how long do, uh, tiger pregnancies last again?"

"About three months, I think. Maybe longer," she answered.

His stomach sank. "Right." He pulled his head back out the door, and headed in search of the kitchen.


	6. Scene 6 Unexpected Allies

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda. I make no money off of this.

**Next Day**

The next morning dawned bright and early. When Po woke up, he looked to the side and realized that his wife wasn't there. He was worried for a moment, before considering that Tigress could probably take care of herself, and trying to find her would probably only leave him out of breath and stumped.

He enjoyed the tranquility for a moment, before the silence was broken by the sound of someone humming. Blinking, he got out of bed and looked out the window.

Just beneath him, a tiger was walking under his window. For a moment, he thought it was Tigress, before he realized that Tigress would never in a million years wear pastel pink.

As Mei-hua continued to hum, he spotted another figure across the garden, and grinned as he realized that this one really was his wife. Tigress was walking towards the humming, and it looked as if she was taking great care to be very quiet.

"Huh. She's tip-toeing or something. Why's she-" Suddenly, it dawned on him. "Oh man." He ran out of the room.

**In the Garden**

She stalked towards the humming, quiet as a mouse. Someone was in the garden. Someone was in the garden, and she hadn't realized that fact before. Someone was in the garden, and she was going to figure out who they were and what they wanted with her.

As she approached the noise, she readied herself to attack-

"Tigress, wait!"

She turned instinctively to her right and pounced on the intruder. They rolled and ended up with the other on top of her. She was about to kick him off when she suddenly noticed who it was. "Po?" she said, surprised.

The bushes rustled, and Mei-hua peeked her head around. "Oh!" she said, startled. "I- I didn't mean to interrupt…"

"Interrupt wh- oh." Po went a brilliant shade of red and immediately got off her. "We- we weren't-"

"He startled me," Tigress cut in, standing up. "I attacked him on accident."

"Oh," Mei-hua said again, this time uncertainly.

"It happens more often than you'd think," Po said, shrugging.

"Well, if you'd stop scaring me like that-"

"Hey, it's not like I try to! Besides, don't you hear me coming?"

"I was a little more preoccupied with-"

Mei-hua giggled, cutting them off. "You're so funny," she said, smiling. "I hope it'll be like that when I'm married."

"To me."

Po and Tigress turned around, surprised. Mei-hua's grin faded a little, and suddenly, she looked flustered.

A young feline was walking towards them. His eyes glinted a startling green, lighter than Po's, and he had a short gold mane.

Po was the first to speak. "Um… not to be rude or anything, but who are you? And… what?"

"Never seen a lion before?" said the man. "That's not surprising, there aren't many around here. My name is Dewei." **(A/N: Of Great Principle/Virtue)** He bowed to Tigress and Po. "It is an honor to meet the two of you."

"Yeah, you too," said Po, bowing back. Tigress did the same.

"He's my husband-to-be," Mei-hua said, her voice barely above a whisper. She was also a lovely shade of red. "He arrived here late last night. My parents had me stay up to greet him."

"Pleasure to meet you," Tigress said cordially. Po knew that, despite her polite tone, she was calculating this through in her head, and by the way her shoulders had relaxed ever so slightly, she'd crossed both Mei-hua and the man off the list of potential spies- Mei-hua for her meekness, and Dewei for his only having just arrived. He grinned in spite of himself; his wife was definitely not any ordinary woman, and there was no such thing as monotony when it came to their marriage.

Suddenly, a voice called out, "Tigress! Po!"

They turned around. Crane was flying towards them. "Invaders!" he said. "In the village! Hurry!"

"Tigress, stay here!" Po urged. "I'll go, and if anyone comes here, get the Jiongs out!"

"No, she has to come, too!" Crane said frantically. "We're overwhelmed; we need every fighter we can get!"

"We'll be there in a moment, go help the others!" she ordered. Crane flew off.

"Tigress-"

"They need both of us, Po. I can protect myself on my own, but the villagers can't." She took off after Crane, Po right behind her.

When they reached the front gates of the house, Po's eyes went wide. The street was swarmed with panthers. He counted ten- twenty-

"How many are there?" he cried.

"Doesn't matter. Come on!" Tigress ran forward into the fray. Po let out a battle cry and charged in after her.

It seemed an impossible mission: dozens of bandits and thieves coming after him, all with swords. He got cut repeatedly- they were shallow but still leaking blood. It seemed that every invader he took out, another would take its place.

He caught glimpses of the others: Crane taking down two from above, Tigress round-housing another, Shifu taking out six with his staff.

Suddenly, there seemed to be even more, as they surrounded him from all sides. He tried to fight them off, but there were too many, too many-

"HYAH!"

Suddenly, another person was fighting beside him. By the speed of her movements, for a moment, he thought it was Tigress, before he realized that the fur of his helper was striped _gray_ and black, not orange.

Mei Ling knocked aside a few more and said, "Behind you!"

Po back-fisted a panther. "Master Mei Ling! How- where-"

"I'll explain later. Duck!" she shouted at someone he assumed was her comrade, a few meters away.

The younger girl- a silver lynx- did as ordered and attacked the panther that had gone after her. "HEIS!"

Suddenly, from a ways away, a gong of some sort sounded, and the panthers all instantly retreated. Po saw Tigress grab one and knock it out before it could get away, but the rest of them all flipped up onto the houses or ran down side streets. Within moments, the road was empty.

"Why- did they- leave?" he panted.

Mei Ling pointed behind him. "Look."

He turned. A large number of tigers were standing there in armor, swords drawn.

"The village guard just arrived. They must've known they couldn't take them all on."

The others came up behind them. "Mei Ling?" Crane said, surprised.

She grinned. "Crane! Good to see you!" The two old friends hugged briefly, before Mei Ling pulled away and said, "My student and I just got here early this morning- about an hour ago, actually. I heard they were in need of help?"

"You heard right," Tigress answered. "The invaders' forces are stronger than we thought."

"Master?" a voice said from behind Mei Ling. The mountain cat turned.

"You're alive, good. Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm alright." She bowed to the Five, Shifu, and Po. "It's an honor to see you all again," she said softly.

"Xiao-xing?" Tigress said, surprised.

"You know each other?" Shifu asked.

"Sure. She used to work for the Bandit Lord; carried a message to us from Tigress," Po answered. "Cool to see you again, kid."

"She's one of my best student up at Li Da," Mei Ling said proudly. "She's only been in it for about a year, but she's got a real talent for Kung Fu."

"No kidding?" Mantis said. "Way to go, kid."

Xiao-xing nodded and smiled a little, ducking her head. She still seemed incredibly shy, but it was obvious that shy had nothing to do with skill- being as good a fighter as she'd appeared to be during the battle after only a year was a feat that only two other people had accomplished, and those two happening to be the tiger and the panda in front of her.

"Do you have a place to stay yet?" Viper asked.

Mei Ling nodded. "We have a room in one of the inns here, over there." She pointed to one of them, which had a sign on it reading, 太阳和月亮酒店, or 'Sun and Moon Inn.' "Actually, I need to talk to the innkeeper about the pay for an extra bed. We'll see you all later!" She beckoned to Xiao-xing, and they went off towards the building.

As they all turned back towards the Jiong's, everyone realized that Crane was wide-eyed and mute (he hadn't said anything since he'd said Mei Ling's name). Monkey elbowed him. "You okay there, buddy?"

"Hm?" he said, shaking out of his trance. "Oh. Yes, I'm fine."

Po, Mantis, and Monkey shared a look, and everyone but Crane himself could tell by the glint in Mantis' eyes that this was by no means over. Thankfully, though, the bug let it go for the time being, but as they started to walk back, Shifu himself said, "Crane? Do look where you're going, please." The bird had almost hit a nearby hanging sign.

"Right. Sorry," the avian said, embarrassed.

And then proceeded to walk into another.


	7. Scene 7 Names

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda. I make no money off of this. All baby names come from http :/babynamesworld. parentsconnect. com/ chinese-names. html, accessed March 9, 2012, and the name for Tigress is a combination of words found at http :/www. mandarintools. com/cgi-bin/wordlook. pl

**That Night**

_""You never do anything right! You always make me look like a total idiot in front of all my friends!"_ _his ten-year-old son shouted at him._

_ "I didn't-" Po tried to say, not even sure what they were arguing about._

_ "You're the worst dad ever and I HATE YOU!" And with that, the younger panda whirled around and ran out of the Jade Palace._

_ "I'm sorry!" Po yelled again, trying to run after him. It was like he couldn't move. "I'm sorry!"_

"Po! Calm down!" two paws shook him back into the land of the living.

Po looked around wildly, having no idea where he was. "How- where- wha- w-" He caught sight of two scarlet eyes, which were glowing in the semi-darkness. "Tigress? What happened?" he said, confused.

"You were yelling in your sleep," she said. She was sitting up beside him, her paws on his shoulders.

This was when he finally remembered where he was: his and Tigress' room at the Jiong's. The room was dark for the most part, but bright moonlight spilled in from the open window and turned the edge of Tigress' fur silver.

Said feline took her paws off him as he relaxed. "You were having another nightmare." It wasn't a question.

"It's nothing."

"No, it isn't," she said seriously. "Po, you never get nightmares, not since we went after Kailí. I should know; I've slept in the same room with you for two months." His best friend looked him dead in the eyes. "Po, _what's wrong_?"

"It's- it's, uh-" His mind raced desperately to come up with something, anything! "The name! I mean, what are we going to name the kid?"

She gave him a dubious look. "You had a bad dream… about names."

"Yeah!"

She looked at him for a long, tense moment, and then said, "Alright, fine. I don't _believe_ you, but if you don't want to tell me the truth, I'm not going to make you. This time." She lay back down, facing him. "I suppose the name depends on whether it's a boy or a girl."

"Okay… boy."

She smirked a little. "You want a boy, don't you?"

"No! I- I don't really mind- I mean, either would be-"

"It's alright; I personally want a girl. That doesn't mean I'd love a son any less." She thought for a moment, and then said, "For a boy, hm? How about… Baatarsiakhan?" **(A/N: All the translations will be at the bottom.)**

"No way, that's too long. What about Bang?"

She laughed a little. "It sounds like the noise you make when you fall down the Thousand Steps."

"Ow." He thought. "Baojia?"

"That's not too bad."

There was a moment of silence, and then Po asked, "Um… Why are we doing this in the middle of the night again?"

"In case we forget to think of a name before the baby comes."

"I thought you said he- or she- isn't due for like another three months."

"She-"

"Or he."

"Or he isn't. But we want to be prepared."

"You sound like my dad," he grumbled.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She was quiet for a moment, and then said, "This is important, because people tend to live up to their names."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, your name is Po Ping," she said matter-of-factly. "Precious Peace. And it fits you like a second skin: you attained inner peace and saved all of China with it. Master Shifu's name means 'Teacher', and he's the Grandmaster of Kung Fu. Tai Lung means 'Great Dragon,' and he would've done anything to become the Dragon Warrior. I want to give my child a name that can live up to, make a good impact on society."

Something suddenly hit him. "Tigress, I don't know _your _name."

"You just said it."

"No, I know your _title._ Like, all the others are 'Master Crane' and 'Master Viper,' but they have real names, too. They just usually don't use them." He shrugged. "I dunno, I just think I'm sort of a bad husband if I don't know my wife's own name."

She was silent for a long, long moment, before saying very quietly, "I don't have one."

He blinked, surprised. "What?"

"I have no birth name. _Tigress_ is what I've always called myself." She smirked, a little bitterly. "Maybe that's why I have no clue what I'm supposed to be doing half the time: I have no name to live up to."

"Well, why don't we name you?" he said, surprising her. "Right now."

"What, now? In the middle of the night?"

"Yeah! Why not?"

She laughed a little. "It wouldn't work, Po; Tigress is the name I go by. It's what everyone calls me."

"C'mon," he urged. "What would you want to be called?"

She thought for a moment. "Huó Yóu Dé," she said finally. "Lives by Virtue."

He smiled. "Tigress, I think that's a _great_ name."

She smiled, too, and then said, "But what if the baby's a girl?"

"Well… I suppose we could name her Fang-hua, after Viper."

"That's right, I almost forgot her real name… Or perhaps Dao Ming."

"That'd be cool," Po agreed. "Or maybe-"

Suddenly, the door opened. Both of them looked in surprise, and Shifu looked back, just as stunned.

"Er- excuse me," he said, flustered. "I didn't mean to disturb you-"

"Naw, we were just talking. What's up, Master Shifu?" Po said, sitting up.

"Well- I-" He coughed, "I came in here to get you, Po. I'd rather like a word with you. Do you mind?"

"Uh- no, I guess not." He got up out of bed and said, "I'll be back soon, Tigress."

She nodded, and closed her eyes. Po and Shifu walked out of the room, and Po closed the door behind him.

"I trust you weren't keeping her up, panda?" Shifu said, his tone suddenly cold towards his son-in-law.

Po blinked. "Um- I guess I sort of woke her up on accident."

"I see."

"I didn't mean to." There was an awkward pause, and then Po said, "Alright, Master Shifu, what's up?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You came in to wake me up at like- what, two thirty in the morning? C'mon, you can't seriously think I'd believe you did that for nothing." He frowned a little. "And if you did, then I'm going back to bed."

"No, don't," Shifu said with a sigh. "Well… you see, Po, I've been losing a bit of sleep as of late over this… baby."

"You're not the only one," Po muttered. Shifu obviously heard, but he didn't press it.

"Let's not talk here. I don't want to wake the others."

Po agreed, and they walked in silence through the house. When they finally got to the garden, they walked a ways more, until they were standing on top of a tiny stone bridge that crossed over a little burbling stream that wound its way through the garden. The crescent moon overhead made the mood seem rather dream-like.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Po asked, breaking the silence.

Shifu cringed slightly. "I… how can I say this? I need to reassure my conscience that everything is as it should be."

Po blinked. "Huh?"

"I entrusted my daughter to you on the day you were married. I know that you have, in the past, been a very trustworthy man. Unfortunately, I also know that many young husbands… well, frankly, they run out on their wives when said wife becomes unexpectedly pregnant."

Po suddenly realized where this was going. "Master Shifu, I-"

"And let me make one thing clear, Po," said the Grandmaster of Kung Fu, a stern look in his eyes, "If you hurt her, or leave her, I will not allow you to escape unscathed, do you understand me?"

"Master Shifu, I would _never_ leave Tigress, ever," Po said seriously. "I mean, she's my wife, and I love her. Like, a_ lot_."

"I understand that you love her, Po, but do you care for her enough to stay with her, no matter what? A baby is a huge responsibility." He looked over the edge of the bridge into the water and said in a low voice, "I should know."

Po understood what he meant, and said quietly, "I think having a child will make me love her even more."

Shifu let out just the tiniest sigh of relief, and said, "That was what I was hoping to hear." He straightened up and said, "You may return to your room, Po."

"Thanks, Master." He turned to go, and then stopped, suddenly. "Um, Master Shifu?" he said, a little hesitantly.

"Yes, Dragon Warrior?"

"Will you- I mean, you'll help me, right?" Po said nervously. "I don't know anything about being a dad."

Shifu sighed again, only this time, it was heavier. "Po, I'm not exactly the best person to ask for advice on fathering a child."

"What do you mean? You raised _two_ kids; you're like the best person I _could _ask!"

"Actually, if I were you, I'd probably go to your father. I… wasn't exactly the greatest parent, to either of my children."

"That's not true!" the panda argued. "I mean, sure, Tai Lung didn't turn out like you expected, but that wasn't entirely your fault! _You_ didn't make him choose to attack the Valley; he did that himself. And besides, Tigress turned out amazing, didn't she?"

"No credit to myself," Shifu said quietly, looking at the ground. "I owe that to you."

Suddenly, he felt Po's hand settle on his shoulder, and he looked up, surprised.

"It wasn't all me, Master," Po said firmly. "You had a lot to do with it. I mean, who taught her Kung Fu? I sure didn't do that. I can barely teach those bunny kids back at the Palace martial arts, much less someone like Tigress."

"A stubborn, brilliant, and altogether nearly impossible cub, at that," Shifu said, chuckling. "If I expected her to act like Tai Lung when I tried to teach her, I was dead wrong."

"What do you mean?" the confused panda asked.

"Well, as much as Tigress loves Kung Fu, she had a lot of trouble learning it when she was younger. Self-control was one of the many skills she lacked… and it took a lot to teach it to her, I can tell you that."

"Yeah, see?" Po said, grinning. "You taught her all her morals and values and stuff. I didn't have anything to do with that."

"That's true…"

"So, will you help us?" Po asked again.

"I'll do what I can," Shifu promised. "Thank you for our talk, Po; you've put my mind at ease again."

"No problem, Master." He grinned. "Or, _Dad._"

WHUMP! He landed hard on his backside as Shifu swept his legs with Oogway's staff. "Oww… Why'd you do that?"

"Because I'm a mean old master who hurts his son-in-law," Shifu said calmly, walking past him.

Po sighed. "People look at you, think, 'oh, he's a nice old man.' Nuh-uh. You're flippin' _sadistic._"

"Yes, yes. Come along, Po, don't lollygag."

He got back up again and followed the red panda back inside. As they approached Shifu's room, the red panda bowed to him, saying, "Good night, Dragon Warrior."

Po bowed back. "'Night, Master."

Shifu went inside. Po walked along the hallway to his room, and opened the door.

Tigress was fast asleep on the bed, her chest rising and falling as she breathed. Po looked at her for a second, a small grin on his face. At that moment, all he could think was how absolutely beautiful she looked.

He crossed the room to the bed and lay down on it beside his wife, feeling oddly at peace. Knowing he would have no more nightmares tonight, he closed his eyes, and fell into dreamland.

**A/N: Some fluff for all of ya! Here are the name translations:**

**Baatarsiakhan: Hero Who Brings Peace.**

**Bang: Nation**

**Baojia: Protects the Family**

**Huó Yóu Dé: (Translation of English words): To live by virtue**

**Fang-hua: Fragrant Flower**

**Dao Ming: Shining path.**


	8. Scene 8 The Prince

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda. I make no money off of this.

**A/N: To everyone who thinks Tigress' belly should be getting bigger, according to ****http :/www. seaworld. org/animal-info/ info-books/tiger/birth-&-care. htm**

**tigers don't start showing until the last 10-12 days of pregnancy, and considering that she's only in month 1 of a three-month time span… Unless I have inaccurate information, it's probably not going to happen anytime soon.**

**Next Morning**

As Po and Tigress walked down the stairs the next morning, following Master Shifu and the others, Tigress suddenly tensed.

"What's up?" Po said, surprised.

"I can't believe I didn't recognize…" she said to herself.

"Didn't recognize… what?"

She didn't answer, only continued down the stairs with what Po called her 'thinking face.' It was obvious she wasn't going to talk to him right then, so he didn't try.

As they entered into the dining area, where the Jiongs and Dewei were already seated, she walked over to the lion and quickly bowed, not in her usual Kung-Fu bow, not even to a knee, but a full kowtow. Po blinked, surprised; Tigress _never_ went into that honorific of a bow, except for when she met someone of huge importance, like one of the great masters. The lion bowed back, though he remained standing.

"Forgive me my rudeness, your majesty," she said respectfully. "I did not recognize you when we met yesterday."

"Wait, what?" Po said, from behind her.

She rose from her kotow and stood up again, turning to him. "Po, this is Prince Dewei, from the Imperial City. The others and I have met him once or twice before, on the mission to the Forbidden City."

"That was nearly three years ago, however," Dewei said courteously. "It's no surprise you did not recall me, Master Tigress, and I did not have the chance to properly explain myself last night, as neither you nor the Dragon Warrior were at dinner."

"She wasn't feeling well," Po explained, "So we decided to turn in early."

"My condolences," the prince said kindly. "I trust you're feeling better now?"

"Much better, thank you."

"So, okay," Po said, holding up a paw. "Let me get this straight: you're, like, a _prince?_"

Dewei nodded. "I'm next in line to the throne of China."

"Whoa," Po said, blinking. "So, um, no offense to you, Mei-hua, but… don't princes usually marry princesses and stuff?"

"For the most part, yes," the prince explained politely, "But what with the discovery of precious jewel and metal mines here in this province, wedding miss Mei-hua will be a good strategic and political move."

Mei-hua herself had her head ducked, her cheeks a flaming shade of red even through her orange fur. She'd made not a sound since the conversation had started.

"Please pardon me if I am incorrect, but am I right in assuming that we are not here to take care of the invaders?" Shifu said.

The lord, lady, and prince glanced at each other. "You are correct," Lord Jiong said. "There are too many invaders for any of you to get rid of; you saw that yesterday."

"We're here to protect the prince," Crane surmised.

"Exactly," said Prince Dewei. "I can defend myself against an enemy or two, but against dozens? To be quite frank, eight against thirty are better odds than one."

"Why wasn't this in the letter we were sent?" Tigress asked.

"All ingoing and outgoing messages can be intercepted," the lord explained. "We wanted the news of his majesty's arrival to remain a secret for as long as possible."

"But won't the people know, now that he is here?" Viper questioned.

"Not many of the common people have seen me," said the prince, "Especially not this far south. For now, I am not a prince outside these walls; I am only the younger son of another province leader."

"Only," Mantis muttered. Dewei's ears flicked, and he smiled a little.

"Actually, do not even call me a prince within these walls; from what you told me last night, Grandmaster, there are evidently spies within these walls."

"Yes, which is why I would suggest moving on to another topic of conversation."

Suddenly realizing the danger of their situation, they did so quite quickly.

Once breakfast was finished, everyone went off in his or her separate directions. Tigress headed off to the garden, followed by Viper.

"You haven't told them yet," the snake pointed out, as they walked past the expertly tended trees.

Tigress tensed. "I will eventually. We're just… waiting."

"For how long? Tigress, they're going to get suspicious sooner or later!"

"I'm hoping for the later." Her ears flattened against the back of her head. "The longer we can keep this house at peace, no matter how uneasy a peace it may be, the less distractions we'll have to work around."

"Yes, but-" Suddenly, she frowned. "You hear that?"

The tiger's ears flicked, and she nodded. A faint singing was coming from not too far off. "That must be Mei-hua."

"Oh. You want to go talk to her?"

"Not specifically."

Viper frowned. "Why not?"

Tigress raised an eyebrow. "I just doubt that there'll be much of a conversation."

"Oh, don't be so mean." She slithered off in front of her, and as they rounded a clump of flowering trees, they saw the younger tiger standing next to a flower, offering it some water from a jar and singing absent-mindedly.

"Mei-hua!" Viper called out. Mei-hua started and turned.

"Oh! Masters Viper and Tigress." She quickly bowed.

"You don't have to do that," Viper said. "We just want to talk."

"Alright." She smiled, but it quickly faded into nervousness.

"Is something wrong?" Tigress asked, walking forward.

"Wrong? No, nothing," she murmured, but her worried face didn't go away.

"You seem troubled," Viper pointed out.

"I'm just… a little overwhelmed," Mei-hua said softly.

"Well, you're going to be a princess. It _is_ a lot to take in," the snake said kindly.

"Yes. Princess… and eventually empress." She bit her lip, her tiny white fangs drawing beads of blood. "I am very lucky," she said.

"May I ask you something?" Tigress said. "If it's not too personal."

"No, of course not."

"You are about our age," she questioned, "But you're just now getting married. I don't know much about the lifestyle of nobles, but I know that even in the village girls get married earlier than this. Is this the first suitable husband your parents have found, or…?"

"No, that's not it," the younger tiger said. "I am actually a widow."

"You are?" Viper said, surprised.

"Yes; I just came out of my three years of mourning. I lost my first husband, Jin, to the fight against the invaders a few years ago," she said softly. "We were only married for a month before he left to go fight… He never came back."

"I'm so sorry," Tigress said.

"That must've been awful," Viper agreed, her voice heavy with sympathy.

"Yes… I miss him a great deal," Mei-hua admitted. "But the prince has been so nice to me, especially as a widow." She went a little red and ducked her head modestly. "He's so kind and caring… I always get tongue-tied around him."

"That's understandable," Viper agreed. She reared back suddenly, as if surprised. "I almost forgot," she said. "I have to go meet Mei Ling."

"Mei Ling? Why?" Tigress said, confused.

"She wants me to help her show Xiao-xing a technique or something, and I promised her yesterday I would. I'll see you guys later!" She took off through the garden.

Awkward silence filled the garden. Mei-hua went back to watering the flower, though she wasn't humming anymore.

"Are you alright?" Tigress said finally. "You look a little worse for wear."

The other tiger attempted a worried smile. "I haven't been getting much sleep lately. I'm worried."

"Worried? About what?"

Mei-hua drew in closer to herself, as if she were cold. "The spy," she said, sounding scared. "If he wanted… he could kill me."

"You know it's a he?"

Her eyes went wide. "You mean it could be a girl?" she said, now officially terrified.

"Technically, yes. But," she said, before the tiger could go into hysterics, "I wouldn't worry if I were you. Whoever it is won't try anything while we're here."

"But what about when you're not here?" Mei-hua said. "When you're in the village, or protecting the prince?" She shivered. "I'm scared, Master Tigress."

Tigress winced slightly at this. It was the age-old dilemma: how do you get rid of someone's fear? Suddenly, she had an idea. "Alright, listen to me," she said, very seriously. "I can't teach you Kung Fu in an hour, or a day, or even a week. But if you're willing to learn, I can show you a few things that might help if you're attacked."

The other tiger looked frightened at the word 'attacked,' but nodded. "What can you teach me?"

"Well, let's start with what you can already do. What do you know about Kung Fu?"

"W-well…" she said hesitantly. "I know that you- you hit and kick a lot."

Tigress barely managed to keep herself from face pawing at this definition, but said instead, "Alright. Do you know how to punch correctly?"

She was met with silence.

"Do you know how to make a fist?"

"Um…" Mei-hua curled her fingers around her thumb. "Like this?"

Tigress shook her head, and, taking the girl's paw in her own, reformed it so that the thumb was on the outside. "There. Now you won't sprain your thumb if you hit something." She pulled back again and held up her paw. "Now, show me a punch."

Mei-hua nodded, and hit her paw with her fist. She didn't hit it anywhere near hard enough, and her arm wasn't at all in the right position, but Tigress had to give her credit for one thing: she didn't yell like Po had when he'd done it. She did frown a bit, and bit back a whimper, but it was nonetheless impressive.

"Here," she said, and adjusted her Mei-hua's arm so that there was a slight bend to it, and the wrist was stronger. "This way, you won't hyperextend your arm."

"Huh?" she said, tilting her head with confusion. Tigress suddenly thought a thought she'd never thought she would:

_I'd rather be teaching the beginner bunnies' class._

"It means hurt," she explained quickly. Best to keep things simple. "Now, try it again.."

**KFP**

"Okay, so how _exactly_ did you tell her you liked her?"

Po resisted the urge to rub his head, which he knew was not going to help his growing headache. He glanced around the kitchen (which he was still stuck in), and, upon seeing no chance to escape, gave up all hope of avoiding the question. "I told you:-" he said to Crane, Monkey, and (the asker of the question) Mantis. "I didn't _tell_ her; she sort of already knew."

"But how did you officially let her know?" Crane pressed.

"I freaked out about her marrying Kailí and kissed her! Come on, you already know this! And since when am I some sort of romance expert?"

"Since you got married to one of the most dangerous people in China, and possibly the world," Mantis said simply.

"Guys, listen," Po said with a sigh. "Tigress isn't exactly the average woman. What works with her isn't necessarily going to work with someone else. Besides, like, ninety percent of what got us together was luck."

"And the other ten percent?" said Monkey.

"Firework powder and something Master Shifu calls 'Divine Intervention.'" When they all gave him doubtful looks, he said, "Okay, look: if you want to get a girl to go out with you, she has to like you first. And if you want that to happen, you've got to be nice, polite, and at least be able to hold a conversation with her. That's really all I can tell you for sure; from there, you're on your own."

He was hoping they'd take this advice and move on to another subject, but no such luck; they proceeded to ask him another two-dozen questions on the subject (or, in Mantis' case, poke fun at him), and he began to wish he'd run out of the kitchen while he'd had the chance.

Suddenly, another young man entered the room, consequentially saving Po from any more questions. Prince Dewei walked up to them and said, "I hope I'm not intruding?"

"Naw, it's cool," Mantis said happily. "We were just talking about how Mr. Dragon Warrior here managed to get himself a girl, even though he obviously knows nothing about romance."

"I'm still in the room, you know," Po said with a frown.

"Yeah, yeah. Way to go with you though, buddy," the insect said, turning to the prince. "You scored big time with Mei-hua. She's one heck of a knockout."

Dewei couldn't help but grin. "No denying that." He'd dropped his regal air, and aside from a slight aristocratic accent, they noticed with surprise that he didn't talk all that different from them.

Po, of course, pointed this out. "Hey," he said, surprised. "You're not acting all prince-ish and stuff."

"I don't act like that when I have the option. Just when I'm conducting business, or in the palace… to be honest, this is the first time in a month that I haven't had to talk like I'm at a funeral."

"That would suck," Monkey agreed.

"You're right about Mei-hua, though," Dewei said. "She's-"

"Hot?" said Mantis.

"I was thinking more 'extremely attractive,' but that works too," the prince agreed. "Her back paws are _tiny_. And she's so quiet and blushes at everything- it's charming."

"I dunno," Po said, laughing a little. "I prefer the ones that can knock you out cold in three seconds, but that's just me."

"Master Tigress is certainly a… _unique_ woman," said the lion.

Mantis snorted. "You're preaching to the choir there, buddy. I've lived with her for six years, and I've never seen her act normal. Ever."

"Like you're to talk," Monkey pointed out, chortling.

"Shuddup."

"I have noticed, though," Dewei cut in (before things could get out of hand), "That she looks rather like Mei-hua. Not in form, of course, but they have similar markings."

The four of them glanced at each other. "Um… well, you're going to find out sooner or later," Crane said. "You see… they're actually sort of sisters."

Dewei blinked. "Sisters?"

"Yeah," Mantis agreed. "Except she somehow ended up in an orphanage, and Master Shifu adopted her, so…"

"Oh," said the prince, his voice uncertain. "Pardon me for being intrusive, but Dragon Warrior, do you know the reason why they put her up for adoption?"

Po shuffled his feet nervously. "Um, why do you think I would know?" he said, trying (and failing) to sound innocent.

"You _are_ her husband, aren't you?" Dewei pointed out.

"Well, yeah…" He bit his lip. "Look, I know why, but it's not my place to say."

The lion nodded. "I can respect that." Suddenly, he frowned. "Do you hear that?"

The all fell silent and listened. From a ways off, they could hear yelling.

"We should go check it out," Po said. "Dewei, you stay here, okay? Guys, come on!" He took off without waiting another second.

As they reached the gates, Tigress met them. "Where's Viper?" Mantis asked.

"She went to go talk to Mei Ling about a technique," the tiger master answered. "What's the yelling from?"

"We don't know," Po answered. "We'll go find out; you stay here. If anything happens, get Dewei and the Jiongs out."

"Got it."

"Master Tigress?" said Mei-hua, coming up beside them (she'd followed Tigress out of the garden when the master had taken off). "What's going on?" She sounded scared.

Tigress turned around. "Find your parents," she ordered. "Go to the back of the house- as far back as you can go. If there's a gate back there, go to it. Wait there for me, do you understand?"

The girl nodded, looking frightened, and ran off.

"Where's the prince?" the feline asked the men.

"In the kitchen."

"Right." She was about to run off when she suddenly grabbed Po by the shoulders. "Stay safe," she said seriously.

"You too."

She nodded and turned, running for the house again.

The prince had come out of the kitchen and was in the hallway. "We need to get to the back of the house, now," she told him. "Follow me."

He obeyed without a word.

When they came to the back of the house, the Jiongs were at a small, rusted gate, which had been nearly hidden by ivy and other hanging plants. The lord and lady were trying to brush some of them away.

"Don't," she said, stopping them. "It'll hide the gate from enemies if they surround us from the back.

The two of them nodded, looking just as terrified as their daughter. The prince seemed to be the only calm one of the four; no doubt he'd been through this sort of uncertainty times as royalty.

She caught his eye and said, "If they surround us, you guard my back."

"Understood."

The seconds ticked by in a tense silence. As much as she tried not to listen, the longer they waited, the louder and closer the shouts became. Her mind was racing a hundred miles an hour, yet it always came back to the same unanswerable question:

_What's happening to Po?_

**With Po**

What was happening to Po, as a matter of fact, was an attack from a large number of panthers, boars, and wolves.

The numbers had almost doubled in just a day; Po couldn't understand it. He kicked a boar in the stomach before back-fisting a panther in the nose, shattering it. Someone kicked at his leg, and he let out a sharp yell but managed to stay on his feet. He flipped the attacker- a wolf- over his shoulder and slammed it into another. No matter what he did, it seemed that the invaders kept coming.

He knocked another away and, spotting a rickshaw nearby and, seeing a slightly lull in attackers, jumped through onto the cart.

Said lull suddenly decreased as the invaders swarmed, surrounding him. He tried to fight them off, but the tried to climb aboard the rickshaw. Eventually, one succeeded, and then another, and yet another tried to fit into the cart, whose wood was now straining against their weight.

Po saw one option and one option only. "Monkey!" he yelled. "Catapult!"

The primate instantly understood, and tossed another wolf onto the two pull rods of the cart.

The back flipped up, catapulting the four high into the air.

They went up… up… up… And, as they reached that point in the air between going up and going down, Po (now fairly accustomed to this spot), muttered, "This is gonna hurt."

Then, they plunged at breakneck speeds for the ground, and hurt it did.

WHAM! The panda's vision flashed black, then red, then white, and for a moment he was sure he'd died and gone to Heaven. Then, his vision turned back to normal (though he instantly had an excruciating headache), and he scrambled to his feet.

Everyone was looking at him in shock. He looked back for a moment, a little confused, and then realized he was standing on something furry. "Ooh!" he yelped, stumbling back.

A panther lay on the ground in front of him, his face implanted in the dirt. Nearby, two more were also unconscious, though admittedly in smaller holes.

"Yeah!" Po said, trying to sound intimidating, looking at all the invaders around him. "Yeah, I- uh- I did that! A-and I can do the same to you! So, um… run!"

They continued to stare, their faces turning confused and a little weirded out.

"What is going on here?" a low, angry voice said.

All the invaders turned, surprised. A panther dressed in a long blue cloak was at one of the backstreets. He was _huge; _'buff' didn't even come close. However, he looked to be a great deal older than the others; roughly sixty.

"All of you, retreat," the panther said, furious. "Do you have any idea what the master will say when he finds out you're here? Attacking unplanned; that's insubordination. You're lucky I'm not giving him names to have you all beaten within an inch of your life!" He shot a look of annoyance at the eight warriors (Mei Ling, Xiao Xing, and Master Shifu were there as well), and then his eyes landed on Shifu. "Well, well. Look what the wind blew in. Hello, Shifu."

Shifu's mouth tightened. "Jing-sheng." **(A/N: Born in the city)**

"You guys know each other?" Po said, surprised.

"One could say that," Shifu said shortly. "We're not on great terms."

"I wouldn't associate with you anyway, dirt-worker," Jing-sheng sneered.

"If that's the best you can come up with after fifty years, it's obvious who was the village idiot, literacy aside," Shifu retorted.

"Let me see you spell something, Shifu. Oh, I know. What about 'Cat?'" said the panther. "Can you spell 'cat,' Shifu?"

The red panda glared at him, eyes twitching. "I–M-B-E-C-I-L-E."

Jing-sheng's eyes narrowed. "Watch it, poor boy."

"This 'boy,'" Shifu replied, sweeping his staff around into fighting stance, "is ready to put an end to you at any time you so wish. I'll let you escape today, but be warned: if you come back and try to hurt the villagers here, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Jing-sheng growled in anger, and then (as if barely managing to keep his temper), "Let's go, men. We have better things to be doing. As in, training until your sorry tails fall off."

The invaders groaned at this, but, shooting venomous looks at the eight warriors, followed the panther out through the gates.

"What, we're just going to let them go?" Po said to Shifu, surprised.

"For now," Shifu answered, watching them leave with narrowed eyes. Once the last panther was out and the gates were shut, Shifu finally relaxed. "Let's go back to the house," he said, straightening up out of his fighting stance. "Mei Ling, Xiao Xing, you come with."

The lynx and the mountain cat followed them back to the lord and lady's house.

The house itself was deathly silent. "Do you think everyone's alright?" Viper whispered.

"They're probably at the back gate," Shifu said. "Crane?"

"On it." The bird took to the skies. Within moments, he circled again overhead. "They're back there," he agreed. "I told them we're on our way."

They hurried through the halls to the garden, and from there to the back gate. The Jiongs, the prince, and Tigress were waiting there for them.

The moment Tigress saw him, she rushed forward, pulling him into an embrace. Everyone looked at them in surprise as they pulled apart.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again," she said reprovingly.

"Tigress-"

"I mean it."

He grinned. "I'll do my best."

She smirked slightly back.

Suddenly there was a slight cough from Crane, and, realizing once again that they weren't alone, Po and Tigress immediately separated, blushing red. Despite them having done everything, well, romantic that a married couple could, both were still rather shy about any public display of affection, no matter how small.

"Lord and Lady Jiong," Shifu said, hurrying the awkward moment along to hopefully something more comfortable, "I'd like to introduce you to Master Mei Ling of the Li Da Academy of Kung Fu, and her top student, Xiao Xing."

"Pleasure to meet you," Mei Ling said courteously, bowing. Xiao Xing mumbled the same thing and bowed even lower than her master.

"The honor is ours," said Lord Jiong. He bowed back, as did the Lady, the prince, and the sufficiently terrified Mei-hua. "You helped defend our village?"

"Yes sir, we did," Mei Ling answered.

"Then you have our thanks. You may stay here, if you still need lodging."

"No, we have a place to stay. Thank you for your kind offer, though."

"Well, in any case, you must join us for midday meal," he said, gesturing towards the house. "I assume the servants have all fled to various corners of the property, so it seems we'll be fixing ourselves lunch." He laughed a little. "Or at the least, the young ladies will."

"Um, no," Mantis said, shaking his head. "You don't want to let Tigress anywhere near a cooking fire. Or a bowl. Or- well, you get the picture."

"Po does all the cooking," Viper added. "His dad is one of the best cooks in the Valley of Peace."

"Really?" Lord Jiong said, surprised.

"Yeah, I sort of just started training about, what, two years ago now?" Po said, looking to the others. "Maybe a little less."

"Would you be willing to make us something?" Lady Jiong asked. "You don't have to, of course."

"Naw, it's cool," Po said happily. "I love to cook."

"Then it's settled. Thank you, Dragon Warrior."

They walked through the house to the kitchen, where a few of the braver servants were starting to walk the halls again, asking them what had happened and why. They answered them as quickly as the could, and when they finally reached the kitchen, Po asked Tigress for some help in making the soup. Despite her (and everyone else's) protests, he insisted, and eventually she agreed.

"So," Tigress said, slicing the vegetables (the only thing she could do without severely injuring herself or someone else). "What were you doing before the attack?"

"Huh? Oh, just talking to the guys. Why?"

"You had something of a pained look on your face."

"Oh, that," Po said, rolling his eyes (something he'd picked up from her). "Well, apparently I've become the world's leading romance expert."

"Really?" she said doubtfully.

"Yeah," he said, frowning a little, "and you don't need to sound so surprised."

"I didn't mean it like that," she explained, "Just that- well, to be honest, Mantis seems more likely to trust his judgment with the ladies than yours."

They both glanced back at the insect, who was talking to Mei Ling, Viper, Monkey, and Crane. Mei-hua was listening to them, and the Lord and Lady were conversing with Master Shifu. Mantis seemed to be getting himself into the usual 'hot water' state (as in, Viper-will-soon-swallow-him-whole state), and per usual, he didn't even notice it. "Good point," Po agreed. "What about you? What were you doing?"

She let just the tiniest sigh escape through her nose. "Trying to teach Mei-hua some Kung Fu."

"How'd it go?"

She gave him a look. "Do you remember level zero?"

He winced. "That bad, huh?"

"Worse. At least you knew how to punch."

"Barely." He put her sliced vegetables into the boiling water. He glanced at it for a second, making sure the bubbles were large enough. "But if _I_ could learn Kung Fu, then I bet she can."

"You had talent."

"I had a good teacher." He picked up two little soup bowls and held them up for ears. "I want forty pushups, panda, and if you miss so much as one, it will be another hundred and forty!" he said, taking on what had been dubbed as the 'Shifu Accent.'

Tigress chuckled a little at this. "Stop it!" she said, glancing back at her master. "He might hear you!"

"The Dragon Warrior does not sleep in! He gets up at the break of dawn to run fifty miles, and _then_ he opens his eyes!"

She laughed even harder, and then snorted. She clapped a hand over her mouth, mortified. "See?" she said, her voice muffled. "This is why I never laugh! You knew I would do that!"

He put the bowls down, grinning at her. "Your laugh is beautiful and I love it."

Unbeknownst to them, their friends had stopped to watch them "You'd never have guessed it," Mei Ling said, watching the tiger and the panda as they continued to talk. "They're polar opposites."

"Well, opposites attract," Viper said fairly. "And even if they're really different on the outside, they're actually a lot alike on the inside. Both very compassionate, both determined, competitive, loyal, brave… and they balance each other out. Po gets Tigress to lighten up, and she makes him act more serious about life. They're a good couple."

"Opposites attract, huh?" Mantis said jokingly. "Then why aren't you and I like joined at the hip? If you know what I-"

She thwacked him with her tail, knocking her off Monkey's shoulder. "Sorry," she said sweetly.

The bug groaned from the floor, and then muttered under his breath, "So much for trying to hold a conversation."

"What was that?" Viper asked.

"Nothing…"


	9. Scene 9 Unexpected Revelations

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda. I make no money off of this.

**That night**

Jing-sheng watched as the leopards straggled back to their tents in the near-blackness, weary after having trained like mad the entire afternoon.

"They deserved it," he said to his companion, another panther, younger than him. "After what they did… the master was furious."

"I don't blame him," the other panther, Li by name, remarked. "The men are too rash for their own good. They want revenge for everything they've been through-"

"Like the master doesn't?" Jing-sheng interrupted. "He deserves revenge more than any of us."

"That's true. The men should take a leaf out of his book; he's the perfect example of patience."

"Do the Imperial Army and the Grandmasters' students still believe we're invaders?" the elder asked.

"According to the master's spy, yes. The Jiongs and the warriors are so _blind._"

"Not as blind as you may think. They suspect a servant, and they're not fully wrong."

"True. The panda is apparently much brighter than we originally thought," Li replied. "The Grandmaster is powerful-"

"Not powerful enough!" Jing-sheng snapped.

Li instantly realized his mistake. "I'm sorry, I-"

"I've waited fifty years to bring that- that worthless little _peasant_ to justice. After what he did to me, to my family's reputation…" Jing-sheng clenched his fist. "Shifu will pay," he vowed. "I will make him pay for what he did."

"Easy, Jing. We'll get him. I'm sure the master has a plan."  
>This seemed to relax him slightly. "That's true," he said, calming his voice. "But we need to destroy him and his students."<br>"Yes," Li agreed, "But how?"

"We need to find a weakness. First in the panda, then in Shifu, Master Tigress, and then the others. The first three are the most powerful- and the most crucial to remove."

"They seem to have no weakness," said Li. "Especially the panda."

"No. Everyone has one. There must be something," Jing-sheng said, thinking. "Something…"

**KFP**

"Okay, I've got the apples," Po said, handing them to her.

"Thank you." She sliced-and-diced it with her claws in a matter of seconds. "You should've let me go get them."

"Naw, it's cool. But I almost got caught on the way back up here; Lord Jiong walked down the stairs right when I was about to go up them."

"How did you hide?" she said, interested. It was a well-known fact that Po's 'Stealth Mode' desperately needed some work.

"There was this big statue thing; I hid behind that… But I think he still might've seen me."

"What would you have said if he'd caught you?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, I obviously can't tell him that my pregnant wife wants them. I probably would've said I was hungry or something."

There was a moment's silence, broken only by the sound of her biting into the apple. Finally, he said, "Tigress… how are we going to tell them, huh? I mean, there's only so long we can hide this before they catch us."

"You sound like Viper; she said the same thing this morning." She took another bite of the apple, swallowed, and then said honestly, "I have no idea. I have a feeling that they're going to take it a lot less reasonably than your father did."

"At least they'll be less embarrassing," he pointed out.

"We hope… Your father did take it well, though I'm surprised he didn't start questioning the… technical issues of it."

Po shrugged. "Who knows why my dad does half the stuff he does." He grinned suddenly. "But _your_ dad is freaking out on the inside."

"I could guess," she replied evenly. "No father likes to hear that his daughter is going to be a mother."

"He probably just doesn't want to admit he's old enough to have grandkids," Po said, laughing. "Even though he's like- yannow, I don't know how old he is."

"He's sixty, and you shouldn't be so disrespectful. He's still your master, regardless of him also being your father-in-law."  
>"Yeah, I know." He grinned. "But you know it's true."<p>

A tiny smile crept onto her lips. "Even so."

"So," Po said, shifting slightly. "Why do you think the Jiongs will be angry about you- well, you know? I mean, it's not like _they're_ the ones having a kid."

She was silent for a moment, and then said, "I think mainly because it will push them over the edge; the situation is already tense due to my even being here. Imagine how you would feel, if the daughter you never wanted suddenly showed up at your doorstep when you weren't expecting her. Not only that, she's staying at your house, eating your food, talking to your people… And then you find out she's with child? It'd be like spitting in your face." She didn't look at him, but rather kept her gaze fixed on the apple in her hands.

He knew he had to cheer her up somehow, so he reached out and grabbed it. She looked at him, surprised. "What?"

"Get the apple."

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't mess with me, Po Ping." She looked at the other apples on the bed. "Besides, I can just take one of those."

"Yeah, you can. But you want _this_ apple. You know you d-OOF!"

She hit him in the stomach, and then snatched the apple out of his paws. "Problem sol-"

Suddenly, Po pushed her off the bed. She landed on her feet, but turned to glare at him. "Give me the apple!"

"You want it? Come and get it!" he said with a big grin, standing up and holding it high above his head.

"Oh, real mature!" she kicked his leg out from under him, grabbing the apple out of midair as he rolled forward. She whirled around and blocked him as he aimed a kick at her.

The spar was on.

It wasn't a very _long_ spar, mind you. Po tried to punch her again, to which she blocked and threw him to the ground. He pulled her down with him, but she rolled over him and ended back up on her feet. He did the same, and, when she went for a punch, blocked her so hard the apple flew up into the air.

He caught it, but she kicked him and grabbed it back. He belly-bumped her a few feet away, and the apple went flying.

They both saw it fly through the air as if in slow-motion. Po reached for it, she reached for it…

They both caught it at exactly the same time, paws locked around the fruit. They looked at each other in surprise, and then Po pulled her into a hug. "You're awesome, you know that?"

"I like to think so," she answered, kissed him quickly on the cheek, and then- before he knew what was happening- put him in a lock.

"Ow! Uncle! _Uncle!"_

She let him go, and took a satisfactory bite out of her apple.

**Meanwhile…**

"Do you know how much I hate you?" Crane muttered to the three others on the ground.

"Yeah, yeah," Mantis whispered (the bird's keen ears picked it up). "What do you see?"

Crane peered in through the window from where he was in the tree. "They're sparring- hold on, he just pulled her in a hug and-" He laughed a little.

"What?"

"She kissed him, and then put him in an arm lock."

Mantis rolled his eyes. "He never learns. Are they doing anything else?"

"Yeah. She's eating her apple. That's it."

Mantis frowned, disappointed. "So this was all for nothing?"

"_You're_ not doing any of the work," Viper pointed out.

"Still…"

"I'm going to bed," Crane said, rolling his eyes. "Mantis?"

"Yeah, this is boring."

"Me too," Viper agreed. "Good night, everyone."

They all said their good nights and went inside, except for Monkey. He swung himself up into one of the trees, bored and not really feeling like sleeping. The moon was in a growing crescent; silvery and bright, making the night seem like day. He leaned back against the trunk of the tree, hands behind his head.

Suddenly, he heard a twig snap, and he sat straight up again, listening.

Padded footsteps made their way though the garden, and it was that the intruder was making no effort to be quiet. After a moment, he realized who it was:

Mei-hua walked through the garden, dressed in a pale-pink, silk nightgown. She had a small metal watering jug with her, and she was humming slightly as she walked under Monkey's tree.

He silently swung down through the branches, landing on the ground without a soft _thump._

Mei-hua whirled around, startled, smacking him in the nose with the watering jug and knocking him flat on his back. "Ohh…" he groaned.

"Oh! Master Monkey!" she said, surprised. She rushed over to him, kneeling down beside the leveled simian. "I'm so sorry; I didn't know you were there!"

"It's alright," he said, sitting up and rubbing his nose. "You didn't hit me very hard."

"I really didn't mean to!"

"No, it's fine, really." He winced, and then said, "What are you doing out here? I thought you were asleep?"

"Oh, I come out here a lot," she said, standing up. He did the same. "I'm watering the lilies."

"In the middle of the night?" She nodded. "Why?"

"I can't sleep."

"Is something wrong?" he said, a little concerned.

"No, not really. But this always helps me calm down." She smiled a little and looked around. "This is my garden, really. I planted all the flowers, and I take care of them."

"You're a gardener?" he said, surprised.

She nodded. "I can make anything grow."

He looked at the garden. It was small, of course, but everything was in full bloom, beautiful in the hushed night. "It's really good."

"I think this is what I'll miss the most, when I become a princess," she said. "I know you can't do this sort of thing when you're royalty." Her smile faded, and her eyes turned melancholy.

"You know," he said to her, trying to get her mind off the subject, "We have a garden, back at the Palace. It's mostly vegetables and stuff, but there's this one part Viper keeps for flowers… or what's left of them, anyways. None of us can get anything to grow."

"A garden? How big?" she said, surprised.

"About this size… but like I said, it's all withered up."

"You should give them more water," she suggested. She poured some of her own water over a nearby clump of lilies, the earth drinking the water in gratefully. "Plants need water to be happy, or they don't grown. They sort of get a little sad, and then… they die."

"You've done a great job, though," the simian said fairly, looking around the garden. "You take care of all this yourself?"

"Yes." She giggled a little, smiling. "It's the one thing I'm good at."

Monkey laughed. "I know you and Tigress are sisters and all, but you're complete opposites. She can't garden to save her life." This was when he noticed Mei-hua was looking at him, a confused frown on her face. "Hey, is something wrong?"

"You said Master Tigress was my sister," Mei-hua said.

"Yeah. So?"

"I don't have a sister. I never have."  
>That was when it hit him. "Wait. You mean, you don't know?" By the look on her face, it was obvious she did not. "Mei-hua, Tigress is your older sister."<p>

"No, she isn't," the tiger replied. "Isn't Master Tigress the daughter of the Grandmaster?"

"He adopted her from Bao Gu. That was where your parents left her… they put her up for adoption."

"No," Mei-hua said, taking a step back. "That's not true. My parents… they couldn't give her up. Why would they?"

"I… don't know. I just know that they did."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "It's not possible."

"I'm sorry?" he said, not really sure what he else he could, or should, say.

"Not possible," she said again, this time more to herself, her voice growing more frantic.

"Mei-hu-" But before he could finish, she turned and ran into the house.


	10. Scene 10 Shifu's Story

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda. I make no money off of this. I got the name for the Himalayas in Chinese from Google Translator.

**KFP**

Mei-hua ran through the halls, stumbling every few meters in her bound feet. She ran to her parents' room and slammed open the doors.

Lord and Lady Jiong looked at her, surprised. Their incense burner was still lit, shedding a little light in the room and flickering off the walls. It appeared they were just about to go to sleep. "Mei-hua?" the lord said. "What on earth is going on?"

"Hey, what's with all the racket?" a voice said. Mantis walked into the room, rubbing his head. "You woke me up."

"Me, too," Viper agreed, yawning. Behind her followed Crane, Shifu, Dewei, and Po and Tigress. Lastly, Monkey came running in, almost out of breath.

"What is going on?" Shifu said, frowning. "Miss Jiong, I trust there is a good reason for this?"

Mei-hua paid none of them any attention, her wide eyes staring at her parents desperately. "Is it true?" she demanded.

"Is what true, dear?" said Lord Jiong, getting out of bed. His wife followed.

"Master Tigress. Who- I-" She looked around, disoriented. Catching sight of Tigress, she turned to her and said, "Who… are you?"

It took the tiger master all of a second to realize what was going on. "You didn't tell her?" she asked, in a low, dangerous voice.

"We didn't tell anyone," Lady Jiong said stiffly. "There was no need for anyone else to know."

"No need? _No need?_ She is your daughter!" Tigress shouted, straining to keep some sort of hold on her temper. "Need or not, she has the _right_ to know!"

"So it's true?" Mei-hua said weakly. "You- you're my… sister?"

There was a tense, loaded pause, as everyone in the room realized the two options in front of Tigress:

She could say, _'No,'_ and that would be the end of it. It would sever all connection to the Jiong in the familial sense, once and for all, to declare herself no longer a relation to them. Everything would be strictly business.

Or… She could say _'Yes,'_ and the whole house would go to hell in a hand basket.

"Yes," she said finally, "I am."

Mei-hua's eyes went wide, and she took a step back, looking around wildly, and then-

WHAM! She fainted.

Everyone stared for a moment, stunned. "Well," Tigress said finally, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "That was certainly productive.  
>"Oh, as if it's our fault!" Lady Jiong snapped. "How dare you! I can't believe your audacity, you impudent, insolent little-"<p>

"Hey!" Monkey snapped, startling them all. "No offense, you guys, but there's a knocked out girl on the floor, and last I checked, arguing isn't helping her!"

"He's right," Shifu said sternly. "Forgive me if I'm being rude, but would you both please put aside your personal issues and deal with the matter at hand?"

There was a moment's pause, before Tigress said emotionlessly, not looking at Shifu, "You're right, Master. Forgive me; it seems I lost my temper, not to mention my judgment. It won't happen again." She turned away from the lord and lady, walking over to the passed-out Mei Hua. "We should move her back into her bed."

"Right," Crane agreed. "Who's going to carry her?"

"I will," Dewei volunteered. He walked over to his fiancé and picked her up, holding her like a small child.

They followed him back to Mei-hua's room, where he lay her down and pulled the blanket over her gently. Quietly, they all left the room.

The air seemed heavy with tension, as everyone stood outside the closed door, no one really sure what to say. Mantis breathed in as if about to say something, but for once decided to keep his mouth shut.

Finally, Shifu said, "I think it'd be best if we all just… went back to our rooms. We'll discuss this in the morning."

"Right. Of course, that's best," Lord Jiong agreed. He laid a hand on his wife's shoulder and lead her off. Po gently took Tigress' paw.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go."

She nodded wordlessly, her entire body rigid. Slowly, everyone went off to their own rooms.

**KFP**

When the morning rays pierced through the windows and onto Po's face, he blinked, and rubbed his eyes. He turned to his right to wake his wife…

Tigress wasn't there.

A thrill of fear raced through his system. "Okay, relax," he muttered to himself. "She's probably fine. Just getting breakfast. All you gotta do is go find her."

He got out of bed and (tried to) walk quietly through the hallways, the floorboards creaking under his weight.

He walked down the stairs, and peeked inside the kitchen. No Tigress.

He checked the fancy dining room. No Tigress.

"Man, where is she?" he wondered to himself, walking up the stairs and past the guest rooms again. "I mean, there's not that many places she could be."

"Looking for someone?"

He whirled around, surprised. Shifu looked back at him calmly.

"Uh, yeah," he answered. "Tigress. Have you seen-"

"I'm right here, Po," the feline answered, walking out of Shifu's room. "I was talking with Master."

"Really? About what? Something really cool and Kung Fu-y?" Po said, that trademark, awe-inspired grin on his face.

"In a matter of speaking," Shifu answered. "I was merely giving her a recap of yesterday's battle."

"Oh, right," Po said, recalling the fight. "Hey, Master, who was that guy?"

"What guy?" Tigress asked.

"This one guy that was sort of in charge of the others. You said you knew him?" he asked Shifu.

"Jing-sheng," Shifu said, and his tone was none too happy. "Yes, I know him, or I did, fifty years ago. He seems much the same, aside from being older, stronger, and much more bitter."

"Bitter?" Po said, confused.

Shifu was silent for a moment, and then said, "Why don't we take a walk?"

"A walk? Why-"

"That sounds like a lovely idea, Master," Tigress interrupted. She shot Po a _shut up and do what you're told_ look, so the bewildered panda followed them down the stairs and out into the garden.

Shifu listened around for a moment for any listeners, and then said, "That's better. We're alone."

"Better not to be overheard by spies," Tigress agreed.

Shifu had them sit down on a small stone bench, and then, taking another glance around, said, "This story is not to be repeated, do you understand me?"

"Yeah," Po answered, at the same time Tigress said, "Yes, we understand."

"Good." He hesitated for a moment, and then started his story:

"I was born in the same village as Jing-sheng, at the base of the Xǐmǎlāyǎ shān Mountains **(A/N: Himalayas)**, a small town made up mostly of red pandas. The headman's family- the only panthers in the town- owned almost all the land outside the village… and many of the villagers worked for him their entire lives to pay off their debts to him, including my parents.

"Jing-sheng was the son of the headman, and he never let any of us forget it." Shifu gave a small chuckle. "We got back at him for it, though; we played a lot of pranks on him, especially myself. Not that I'm proud of it, mind you." However, a tiny grin did escape, telling the two that he wasn't all that sorry.

"One day, when I was ten, we received a message from the Jade Palace that the Grandmaster Oogway was going to visit our village. The letter said he'd had a vision that said he choose his first ever student from among children of our humble mountain town; it was a great honor. The headman and the other village leaders decided to hold a contest of skill- a few of us knew, or thought we knew, a little Kung Fu- to help the Grandmaster decide.

"Master Oogway arrived about a week later, just as the sun was rising. All of us children were ready- some more so than others. Jing-sheng seemed confident enough, though of course, he was a good three feet taller than the rest of us.

"The village leaders greeted Master with the utmost respect, and led him to a chair to watch the contest. The line of contesters was a long one; Jing-sheng was right in front of me, and a friend of mine, Jiao, was behind. Jiao was even smaller than I was, and he didn't want to be here in the first place; he kept mumbling about feeling sick. The first few spars went well enough- the worst injury was a shallow cut, if I remember right- and then they called Jing-sheng and I to the stand."

"So what happened?" Po said, his eyes wide with rapt attention.

Shifu snorted. "What do you think happened? I got the snot beat out of me."

"And Master Oogway didn't stop it?" Tigress said, surprised.

"He did, once he'd managed to get around Jing-sheng's father without hurting the man. The headman didn't want to let him through; he wanted the fight to continue. It didn't take Oogway very long, but that half a minute or so was certainly enough time for Jing-sheng to knock me in the dirt. And yes, I do mean that literally."

"Ooh," Po said, wincing.

"I walked- well, limped- back to my spot in line. My friend, Jiao, was next. He didn't want to go up and fight Jing-sheng, but his father urged him to do so. The headman called out for the spar to begin, and I knew when Jing-sheng raised his fist above his head, it didn't matter to him what Oogway had said; he had free license to beat Jiao and he was going to use it.

"To this day, I don't know what made me do it; I think I might've gotten hit in the head during my fight. I ran up in front of Jiao and tried to protect him.

"Jing-sheng laughed and said, 'Didn't get enough, Shifu?' I'm embarrassed to say I closed my eyes when he brought his fist down; I didn't want to see it coming."

"So did he hit you?" Po asked.

"No. When I opened my eyes, Oogway had stopped him with his staff. He gently pushed Jing-sheng aside and then offered me a hand up." Shifu smiled a little. "I remember the look in his eyes; it was so kindly, it surprised me. He asked me, in front of everyone, if I would like to come to the Jade Palace to learn Kung Fu. I said yes, of course, and that was how I was selected to become his first student."

"But why was Jing-sheng angry?" Po asked.

"It was a direct blow to the honor and pride of him and his family. Not only that, Master Oogway compensated my parents for allowing me to go, and gave them enough money to pay off their debts and buy themselves a plot of land. Soon afterward, a stroke of bad luck hit the town, and the headman and his family lost everything. My parents bought all of his property at a cheap price, and soon became in charge of the village and the workers that were in debt to the headman. They were much better employers than the previous, and the headman's family blamed it all on Jing-sheng for not winning the contest. From what I can assume, he must've left home the moment he could and traveled around the country, before he joined the invaders."

"Wow," Po said, whistling. "No wonder the guy hates you, Shifu."

"To be honest, I can't blame him," the red panda agreed. "His pride and his family's wealth were entirely destroyed because of me and fate; I can understand his resentment, even if I don't agree with it." He stood up off the bench and said, "Speaking of resentment, I believe I hear miss Mei-hua's voice coming from the kitchen; we should probably head inside."

They agreed and stood up, walking into the house. None of them noticed two golden eyes looking out at them from the leaves of a nearby tree. They waited there for a moment, and then vanished again into the green.


	11. Scene 11 Invitation

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda. I make no money off of this.

**KFP**

As they entered the kitchen, their suspicions were proved correct: Mei-hua was awake, and unlike yesterday, she was not anywhere close to fainting. As a matter of fact, for the first time since they'd arrived, she looked angry.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked the lord and lady, who were also in the kitchen.

"Mei-hua-" her father started, but she cut him off.

"No! Tell me the truth! Do I or don't I have a sister?"

"Watch your tongue!" her mother said sharply. "You will not speak to your father that way!"

"Do we have a problem here?" Tigress said, and everyone noticed the presence of the three warriors for the first time.

"You! Get out!" Lady Jiong snapped.

"I beg your pardon?" Tigress answered coldly.

"This is a family affair!"

"Excuse me!" Shifu said loudly, to get their attention. It worked; everyone quickly shut up. "Now," he said calmly, "I would advise everyone in the room to take a moment to regain a hold of their tempers- yes, Miss Mei-hua, that includes you- and then we will continue this conversation like adults."

There was a moment of silence while everyone struggled to get control of themselves once again, and then Shifu said, "Good. Now, let's go on."

Lord Jiong nodded. "Thank you, Grandmaster." He turned to Mei-hua. "Mei, you must try to understand, this is a very… delicate topic, and not one to be discussed at the present time. We have more pressing obligations to deal with."

Mei-hua nodded, once again her meek self, and mumbled, "Yes, father."

"Pressing obligations?" the Prince (who had wisely kept his mouth shut) asked.

"Yes, though I believe we should call your other students, Grandmaster."

"No need," groaned a voice from the doorway. Mantis walked in, blearily rubbing his tiny eyes, followed by the others. "Man, you people have got to learn how to use those- those- whadaya-call-'ems?"

"Indoor voices?" Crane supplied, tired.

"Yeah, those thingies." They all made their way into the room, obviously just woken from sleep.

"Now," said the lord, once they were all in the room, "In a week from today, we will be hosting a feast to announce the marriage of our daughter to the prince. At that time, Dewei's true identity will be revealed, and he will be in even more danger than before."

"You want us to attend as protection," Shifu concluded.

"Correct. We would like you to go, both as guests and as guards."

"Are you kidding? Of course we'll be there!" said Monkey. "Going to a party on the job? Talk about perks!" He and Mantis (who was sitting on his shoulder) high-fived.

"Calm yourself, Monkey," Shifu said. "We'll be working, not celebrating." The simian pouted but complied. "We'd be honored to attend."

"Alright. Now that that's settled," said Lady Jiong, "We have another issue to attend to."

"What's that?" Po said, interested. As one of the servants passed by carrying a bread roll, he picked it up- and immediately dropped it. "Ooh! Ooh! Hot!" He shook his hand as if it would help the pain.

The lord and lady watched, rather unimpressed. Tigress rolled her eyes and picked up the bread roll, obviously feeling nothing in her paws aside from a little heat. "Another issue?"

"Yes." She glanced at Mei-hua, and said kindly, "Mei, dear, why don't you go outside to the gardens, hm? I know how much you love them."

The girl blinked, surprised, and then smiled. "Thank you, mother." She quickly bowed and ran off.

Once she was gone, the lady continued, "We need to know how many people you have told about… Master Tigress' relations to us."

"Oh, I see," Tigress said sarcastically. "That's why you don't like me. Don't want me to ruin your precious reputation, do you?"

"Tigress, hold your tongue!" Shifu said sharply.

Her mouth opened in protest, before she nodded. "Yes, master. My apologies."

"Listen to me," the red panda said, and his eye was getting very, very close to twitching, something all of his students knew well to avoid. "From here on out, I don't care who said or did what in the past, all parties present will speak to each other in a civil tone. Am I understood?" When no one answered, he said again, louder, "_Am I understood?_"

"Yes, Master," the six warriors mumbled, at the same time the Jiongs agreed, "Understood, Grandmaster."

"Good. Now, to answer your question, we have told no one, and we will do our best not to tell anyone- at least, not for the time being. Is that agreeable?"

The Jiongs didn't look altogether pleased, but they did agree to the deal. "Aside from that," Lord Jiong said, "We would like to also request the assistance of those young women that were with you yesterday."

"Master Mei Ling and her student?" Shifu asked. The lord nodded. "We can ask them."

"Thank you. That would be most helpful."

Shifu bowed quickly, and then said "Crane, Viper, and Mantis: go find Master Mei Ling and tell her about the Jiong's request. As for myself, I'm going to go meditate."

"Yes, Master," they said, bowing quickly. They left.

Shifu walked back out to the garden, rubbing his temples. He walked to the edge of the stream and sat down beside it lotus-style, closing his eyes. _Inner Peace… Inner Pe-_

The sound of footsteps, heavy ones, stopped him. The panda was in the garden; perhaps he wouldn't come over?

The footsteps continued in the other direction, and he let out a sigh. _Inner Peace…_

WHUMP.

He sighed and opened his eyes, looking at the panda beside him "Yes, Dragon Warrior?" he said, struggling to keep his temper at a manageable level.

"Um… I'm sorry to bother you and stuff… but, uh, I sort of need to talk to you, and, um-"

"The point, if you please."

"Right!" Po yelped. "The point. The point is, um… okay, Master, I just wanna know what you know about this whole, yannow, raising a kid thing?" He looked at the red panda hopefully, and Shifu was strongly reminded of when he was first teaching Po Kung Fu.

_This… is going to be painful._

"You want me to tell you about child-rearing?" he said wearily.

Po nodded eagerly.

"Terrific," Shifu mumbled. "Alright, panda, I'll give you a few instructions."

"A few?" Po said, looking crestfallen.

"I can't teach you everything there is to know about being a father in a day, Dragon Warrior." He was silent for a moment, and then said, "I'll help you, panda, but pay attention, because I will only ever say a single thing once. Understood?"

"Got it."

"First off," Shifu said, his demeanor changing entirely to that of a strict master as he stood up, "After the child is born, your entire life will be split into two very important sections: getting the baby to sleep, and keeping the baby asleep. Most of your time will be comprised of the first, with the second being a rare occurrence. Whenever, and I do mean whenever, the baby is asleep, _you sleep too._ It is the _only _chance you will get.

"Secondly, I would highly suggest you and Tigress taking turns with the days; one of you trains for a day, one of you takes care of the child. Then you switch.

"Thirdly, once he or she learns how to talk, you will highly wish they hadn't. They will then spend the next fifteen years or so absolutely convinced that anything and everything you say is automatically wrong."

"Why?" Po asked.

"Because you are the parent and they are the child, and therefore you are infinitely less wise in the ways of the world, despite you having lived in it much longer than they have. Fourthly, don't believe yourself to be absolutely right, either; there will be times when they are right and you are wrong, no matter how painful it is to admit it."

He paused for a moment here, and then said, in a much gentler tone, "And most importantly of all, remember to tell them… how much you care for them, even when you are angry with them. Don't allow them to be vain or conceited, but also don't forget to show them that they are worth so much more than the sun or the moon or the stars."

Po nodded, smiling a little. "I won't, Master."

"Then, Po, I have absolute faith in your parenting abilities." Shifu smiled back, and Po knew that his master's belief in him was worth more than any compliment could ever be.

**Village**

"I wonder where they're staying?" Viper mused as they walked (or, in her case, slithered) through the streets.

"Maybe we should split up?" Crane suggested.

"Are you crazy? This place is huge!" Mantis said. "We'll get lost and never be able to find our way back, and I _really_ don't wanna miss Po's cooking!"

"All you ever think about is your stomach," Viper said, rolling her eyes. "Look, if we don't find them after half an hour, meet back here. I'll go with you, Mantis, and Crane can go on his own."

"Why do I have to be stuck with you?" Mantis whined. Viper hissed at him and shut him up.

"Go on, Crane," she said. "We'll meet you back here in a little while. Come get us if you find them."

"Right. See you guys later." He took off.

They continued on, trying to stick to the sides of the road so they didn't get trampled on. "Now, if I were a mountain cat, where would I be?" Mantis mused.

"Stop being an idiot," Viper said with a sigh. Maybe she should've gone off on her own.

"Hey! Don't call me an idiot!"

"Oh, man up."

Now Mantis was really hurt. She'd insulted both his intelligence and his masculinity within less than ten seconds. "You're so mean," he huffed. "Remind me why you hate me again?"

"I don't hate you," she said, feeling a little guilty. "You just… irritate me."

"What do you mean?" he said, all fake-innocence. "How could I, the epitome of chivalry, ever irritate you?"

"Chivalrous? You?" she replied, incredulous. "You wouldn't know manners if they hit you over the head!"

"Oh really?" he demanded. He looked around, and then said, "Okay, pick a building."

"What?"

"Pick a building you want to search in."

She blinked, and then, looking around, pointed at one of them. It was a store of some sort, the door already open. "Alright, that one."

"You think they're in there?" he said doubtfully.

"You have a better idea?"

"No," he admitted. "Alright, let's go."

As they approached the door, he stood to the side and said, "Ladies first."

"Oh, yes, very gallant," she agreed, slithering inside. "I can see now how much class you have."

"Hey, at least I made an effort."

"Oh, look!" she said excitedly, forgetting all about their debate. She hurried forward and curled herself around a table leg to get to the top.

"What is it?" Mantis said, hopping up beside her.

"Ribons!" she said, pointing at them. It was a bunch of silk ribbons, fringed with gold. "Look, aren't they pretty?"

"Uh-huh," he said, obviously not all that interested.

"There's a pink set, and a blue set, and a purple set- wow!" She picked them up with her tail, looking at them. "They're so pretty!"

"Yep. Wonders of the modern age."

"Which one do you think is better, the purple or the pink?" she asked.

"Pink," he answered instantly.

She looked at him, startled. She'd been expecting a blow-off answer, like 'whichever,' but instead she found a rather flustered Mantis looking back at her. "Um, yeah, pink," he repeated. "You- you look good in that color."

"Really?" she said, surprised. "You think so?"

"Well, sure. I mean, you wear pink flowers on your head every day. I dunno, it'd look weird to see you in another color," he answered, trying to look like he really didn't care that much. Unfortunately for him, he botched this in the next sentence, one that popped out of his mouth before he could stop it: "And they make your green eyes stand out."

"Oh," she said, blinking. "Um, thanks, Mantis."

"Yeah. No problem. So you gonna get them?"

"No," she said with a sigh, "I don't have any money with me."

"Neither do I."

"Well, that's that, then. Let's get going," she said, curling herself down the table leg to the ground and heading for the exit.

He felt sort of bad, watching her go; after all, she really liked those ribbons.

Suddenly, he hopped over to the manager, an old ram. "Listen, I haven't got any money with, but that girl over there, she really likes the ribbons," he told him. "Is there anything I can do to pay them off?"

The ram snorted. "Sorry, buddy, but all the work is done for the day, except for moving some boxes outside, and frankly I don't think that's your line of work." He turned away, and then glanced back over his shoulder. "Sorry, little fella, I don't-"

The bug was gone.

The manager looked around, surprised. "Where did he go?" He stepped out from behind the desk. "Hey- cricket guy-"

"I'm a praying mantis," a voice said from behind him. He turned around and saw the bug standing with his front legs crossed in the doorway to go outside. Behind him were the three or four boxes that were supposed to be moved. "And don't call me a 'little fella.' Now what about those ribbons?"

The manager blinked. "Um… pink or purple?"

**KFP**

"Now what was their inn called again?"

Crane looked down the street he was on. He was almost sure it was the one they'd fought the bandits in, but there were at least three inns there and no one to tell him which one was right. The names were all similar, too; Sun and Moon Inn, Sunrise Inn, and the Moon and Stars Inn.

The avian sighed. "Looks like I'll have to go try all of th-"

"Looking for someone."

He turned around, surprised. Mei Ling and Xiao-xing were standing right behind him.

"Oh, good," he said, relieved. "I'm glad I found you guys; I'm supposed to give you a message from the Lord and Lady."

"Really? What is it?" Mei Ling said, surprised.

"What is it? Uh- um…" His mind was blank. He couldn't for the life of him remember what he was supposed to tell her! _Think, you brainless bird, think!_ "Oh! Right, um, you guys are invited to a party a week from today at their house. They need more guards there for an important guest."

"An important guest? Who?" Xiao-xing asked, looking interested.

"He would've told us if he could, Xaio," Mei Ling told her student. "We'll be there, Crane. Thanks for telling us." She smiled at him, and for a moment, he struggled to remember who exactly 'Crane' was.

"Oh, um, yeah! No problem!" he smiled back. "See you later, Mei."

"Bye, Crane." She and Xiao-xing walked past him and into the Sun and Moon Inn.

_Sun and Moon. Right. I'll remember that next time._

"Hey, buddy, there you are!" Mantis said, walking up to him. He noticed the bird's dreamy, vacant expression, and it was obvious that he'd just seen Mei Ling. "Hey, did you get hit over the head or something?" he asked jokingly.

"No, he didn't," Viper said, annoyed. "So did you tell Mei Ling about the party?"

"Or did you just stare at her like an idiot?" Mantis added.

"What? Oh, yes, I told her," Crane said, a little embarrassed. "She'll be there, and so will Xiao-xing."

"Good. Let's head back then, alright?" Viper said kindly. As she turned to go, something suddenly caught Crane's attention.

"Hey, where did you get those ribbons?"

"These? Mantis bought them for me." She smiled happily. "Aren't they pretty?"

"Yeah, they are."

Viper giggled. "Thanks." She slithered on ahead of them, out of earshot.

He glanced at Mantis, his expression reading, _Ribbons? Really?_

"Like you're to talk, lover boy," Mantis said, rolling his eyes. "She liked the ribbons so I moved a few boxes. Big deal."

"Uh-huh."

"Come on, man! Do you know what she'd do to me if I even _tried_ to get somewhere with her?"

"I can imagine."

"She'd strangle me. Crush me. Make my exoskeleton end up _inside_ me. I like life too much for that! Why do you think I never settled down with some lady mantis?"

"Because you're a player?" Crane guessed.

"No, because I don't want to _die_ for a girl. Unlike you, who would probably jump off a cliff if _Mei Mei_ told you so."

"Don't call her that!"

"'Oh, _Mei Mei,_'" the insect said in a high falsetto that was probably supposed to imitate Crane's voice. "'I love you _so much!_ Thank you for turning me from a spineless little wimp into a Kung Fu Hero!'"

"Like you're to talk. You don't have a backbone, either," Crane pointed out.

"'_Mei Mei,_ you are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen! If I could only just remember how to talk when I see you, I would profess my love for you. You're the only one for me!'"

"I'll squish you."

"Aw, lighten up. It's not like she can hear me anyways." He went back into his falsetto. "'Oh, how I wish we could be together for all time!'"

Crane sighed. This was going to be a _long_ walk back.


	12. Chapter 12 What is to Come

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda. I make no money off of this.

**A/N: Sorry for the wait in update! I've had a busy week.**

**KFP**

She. Would. Not. Eat. It.

Wouldn't. Couldn't. Absolutely refused.

She could barely stand _looking_ at it.

Po watched his wife worriedly as she silently sat at the table for dinner that night, determinedly not looking at the salad- or, more specifically, the radishes in the salad.

He didn't know how a harmless little radish could repulse someone, even someone with morning sickness. He'd heard of pregnant woman hating bread, oranges, even carrots, but a _radish?_ It wasn't exactly one of the foods one called to mind when thinking of the word 'disgusting.'

Then again, he wasn't the pregnant one, so he didn't have any right to judge.

He picked up his bowl of soup and was about to take a drink out of it when he noticed everyone looking at him. He looked back, confused. Was there something on his face?

Tigress reached over and lowered the bowl in his hands, gently nudging the chopsticks towards him. His face burned brilliant red. "Oh. Right," he muttered. Etiquette was the one part of being a master he'd never get used to.

"So, Tigress, you want some salad?" Mantis said, obviously having no clue about the radish issue.

Her teeth gritted. "No."

"Come on, don't be such a carnivore."

"Mantis, watch your tongue!" Shifu snapped.

"I won't have any foul language in this house," the lord added sternly.

"Alright, alright. Seriously, though, have some salad, its really-"

"I _said_ no."

"I know you want-"

"I said no and I meant it!" she shouted, standing up and slamming her fists down on the table.

Everyone looked at her, surprised. She stared back, her mouth struggling to work for a few seconds before she managed to get out, "I need some air." She turned and left the room.

"Um- yeah. I'm just gonna, you know…" Po said awkwardly, standing up and following her out.

He walked out, through the hallway and into the garden, where she was with her back to a tree, looking up at the moon.

"Hey," he said, walking up to her.

"I lost my temper," she said quietly.

"What?"

"I lost my temper. I got angry… and, of course, nearly cracked the table."

He laughed a little. "I can't say I blame you. Mantis was being a-"

"I almost cracked the table, Po," she said turning to look him in the eye. "I could've broken it. I nearly did."

"But you didn't," he pointed out.

"But I could've. I wasn't even trying to stop myself. I didn't hold myself back. I was just lucky I didn't hit it that hard; I wasn't trying to be gentle."

He was still confused. "So what? You almost broke a table; considering you almost break _me_ every other day in training, I don't think it's that big a deal." He playfully punched his wife on the shoulder. "Come on, loosen up!"

"I-" Suddenly, she stopped. "Hide."

"What? Why?"

"Just hide!" She pulled him back around the tree and behind a bush.

"Tigress, why are you-" The rest of the sentence was too muffled to understand, due to the paw that was covering his mouth.

A moment later, he understood, as Mei-hua and Monkey walked out into the garden.

"These are the water lilies," Mei-hua said proudly, showing him a clump of the flowering plants in a pool that branched off from the tiny stream. "I don't have to do much with them; they take care of themselves pretty well. But the hibiscuses are picky; they need a lot of care."

They continued on through the garden, Mei-hua shyly telling the simian about the flowers. As they walked out of earshot, Tigress stood up again. "Monkey…" she said, her voice frustrated.

"What's wrong?"

"He shouldn't be with her."

"What do you mean?" Po said, confused. "They're just talking."

She glanced at him. "Po, when I started talking to you, what happened?"

"Um… we became friends?"

"And after that?"

"Best friends."

"Keep going."

His eyes widened as he realized what she meant. "Tigress, they're not- I mean, Mei-hua's head over heals for Dewei! Isn't she?"

"It's hard to tell," Tigress answered. "She's very quiet and flustered around him, and yet… I don't think she loves him."

"Then why's she marrying him?"

"It's an arranged marriage, Po; she doesn't have to love him to wed him." She let out another frustrated sigh. "She's engaged to the future emperor of China. I hope Monkey knows what he's getting into, and more importantly, how to get himself back out."

"Come on, this is Monkey we're talking about! He hasn't kept a girlfriend for more than two weeks."

"And that's beating Mantis' record," Tigress agreed, smirking. Then, the smile faded slightly, and she put a hand to her belly. Po noticed and did the same.

"You're getting bigger," he noticed. "Not a lot, but still…"*

"We won't be able to hide it much longer," she agreed.

He nodded mutely, and then pulled her into a hug.

When he pulled away, he said, "You know what I think? I think what you need is a big bowl of Secret Ingredient, radish-less soup."

"Don't say radish."

It definitely wasn't his brightest moment, but he asked, "Or what?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Or I stop breaking tables and start breaking pandas."

"Oookay. The 'R' word is now officially on the, um… the Bad Word list. We will now no longer say the R word."

She rolled her eyes and started to head back. He caught up to her and walked beside her. There was silence for a moment, before:

"Turnip."

She shoved him into a bush. "OOF!"

**KFP**

"Hello, Master Mei Ling."

The mountain cat turned, surprised to hear anyone calling her name at this time of the night. She hadn't even heard the person approach; she'd been looking up at the stars. The speaker was an elderly goat, with eyeglasses and a cane. "Hello."

The goat walked up beside her. "Penny for your thoughts, girl?"

Mei Ling was surprised by the epithet; she hadn't been called 'girl' for a long time, and yet she felt no resentment at the word. "Call me crazy, but… I'm trying to read the stars."

"To predict your future?" Mei Ling nodded, and the goat smiled. "The stars won't tell you your fortune, dear; they're much too set into their places."

"What do you mean?"

She chuckled. "Never you mind. It's beyond your time anyway."

Mei Ling shrugged the strange comment and said, "What are you doing out so late?"

"Looking for you."

She looked at the elderly lady, surprised. "You don't even know me."

"But I will," the goat said, smiling. "I am a Soothsayer, and you are Master Mei Ling of the Li Da Academy. It is a pleasure to meet you." She bowed to the master and said, "You shouldn't be so concerned with the future; what you do now determines it. However, you really want your fortune read to you, I would be happy to do so."

Mei Ling shrugged. She seemed to be a harmless old fortune-teller; this city was full of them. Why not? "How much do you want?"

"No cost."

"Nothing?" she said. "Are you sure?"

"Would I have offered if I wasn't?"

"No," Mei Ling admitted. "Alright, what do you need?"

"I have everything I need right here." She pulled a small bowl out of the inside of her robes, as well as a scissors. Mei Ling didn't have time to object before the old goat had clipped off a tiny bit of the fur on her arm, caught it in the bowl, and put some unknown powder into it, as well.

The smoke curled up around them, seeming to glow slightly, and the mountain cat drew back, surprised. "What is it?" she asked.

The lady smiled at her mysteriously. "Would you believe me if I told you?"

The smoke began to take on a shape, too indefinite for Mei Ling to make out. Evidently, however, the goat could see something amidst the vapors. "Ahh…" she said softly.

"What is it?"

"If you continue on your current path… you will play a key part in fate of the wind-rider and his companions."

"Crane?" the mountain cat asked.

"Yes. Because of you, he will survive. However…" At this, her face grew worrisome.

"What?"

"Four of his friends will be taken captive."

"The rest of the Five," Mei Ling whispered. "Is- is there anything else?"

"Beyond that, I cannot see. That part of the future does not rest in your hands." The smoke dissipated into the air, leaving Mei Ling feeling rather cold.

The goat saw the look on her face, and her gaze softened. "Do not worry too much about tomorrow, dear. If there is anything a seer knows, it's that the future does not truly exist. It is created only by what you do now."

Mei Ling nodded, though she still seemed troubled. "I think I'll be going to bed now. Good night, ma'am."

"Good night." The mountain cat disappeared into the doorway, and she turned to leave.

She was passing by a small alleyway when she stopped. Without even turning, she said, "Evening, Grandmaster."

There was a pause, and then the red panda stepped out of the shadows. "Good evening."

The Soothsayer smiled at him wryly. "Do you want your fortune read as well?"

"No, thank you. I learned a while ago that knowing one's future often only causes it to become set in stone, and I'd rather not have four of my students taken captive if I can help it."

She nodded. "You are wise, Grandmaster. To know what is to come is both a curse and a blessing. However, I may remind you that no one's future is 'set in stone.'"

"You remind me of someone," Shifu said, smiling a little sadly and glancing at the staff in his right hand. "A great friend of mine, who has passed from this world."

"I knew Grandmaster Oogway," she said.

He blinked, surprised. "Really?"

"Yes. He was the one who trained me in the Sight."

"I see… you seem to be about my age. Why don't I remember you?"

"I left the Jade Palace before I was twelve years of age. If I remember correctly, you arrived when you were ten, two years after I departed for Gongmen City."

"That makes sense," Shifu replied, nodding. "Did you know him well?"

"I was at the Palace for only two years, though I would like to say I did. Then again, Grandmaster Oogway had the ability to make you feel like an old friend, even if you'd just met."

"That's true," Shifu agreed. "He had a talent for being nothing short of kind in every situation, something I was and still am envious of."

"That makes two of us, Grandmaster," the Soothsayer said, chuckling. "It was nice talking to you, though I really should be heading back."

"I'll walk to your house; I have little desire to head back to that house so quickly."

"Too much drama?" the Soothsayer guessed as they started back towards the house she was staying in.

Shifu rubbed his left temple with his free hand. "You have no idea."

"I assume that Master Tigress and her birth parents are at odds?"

He looked at her, surprised. "You know about that?"

"I know a great deal, Grandmaster- more, some would say, than I should."

He laughed. "Well, you're right; Tigress can't stand the sight of them, nor they her, especially her mother. It's all I can do to keep from strangling them." He smiled ruefully. "I never thought I'd say this, but thank the gods I have Po to keep me sane. He seems to be the only thing that can calm Tigress down when she's angry."

"Lord Shen's mother once told me that was why people were married; one to carry the sword, one to remind the other of the sheath."

"A wise proverb if there ever was one," Shifu said with nod. They stopped in front of a small house. "I believe this is where we part, ma'am."

"I believe so. Thank you, Grandmaster," she said, bowing.

He bowed back. "It was my pleasure. Sleep well."

"You as well." She opened the door and walked inside.

Shifu turned and headed back to the Jiong's, smiling slightly to himself. No, he'd rather not know the future right now; he was much too busy trying to deal with today.

As he walked down the road, the Soothsayer watched him from behind her window. "May the gods watch over you, Grandmaster," she said softly, and then disappeared from view.

*** I'm going off a human pregnancy here, and dividing it by 3. Since Tigress is about a month pregnant, she's about 13 weeks along human time.**


End file.
